Ten Greeneville-area Civil Air Patrol cadets took part in orientation flights aboard Civil Air Patrol aircraft at the Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport on Saturday.

The cadets, who are between the ages of 12 and 18, flew aboard three CAP Cessna 182 aircraft that were flown to Greeneville by CAP pilots who are based in Knoxville.

First Lt. Derek Metcalf, who commands the Civil Air Patrol's Greeneville Composite Squadron, said the local CAP unit currently has 13 cadets and 10 senior members.

He noted that First Lt. Steven Knepp, a Knoxville-based CAP member who was in charge of Saturday's cadet orientation flight operation, said the U.S. Air Force pays for CAP cadets to take part in up to 10 flights, including five each in both gliders and powered aircraft.

He noted that on Saturday, the CAP brought three Cessna 182 aircraft to Greeneville.

Two of them feature the latest "glass-cockpit" technology and are only about a year old.

The third aircraft, he said, was a 1980 model Cessna 182 that has been maintained to nearly new aircraft status.

Six CAP volunteer pilots from Knoxville were on hand to conduct the orientation flights for the 10 local CAP cadets.

Lt. Knepp said the Civil Air Patrol, which is an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, conducts searches for missing aircraft and assists state officials with natural disasters and anti-drug operation in addition to teaching cadets about flying.

He noted that the CAP has four "groups" in Tennessee.

The Greeneville Composite Squadron, he said, is part of the CAP's Knoxville-Tri-Cities Group. Other CAP groups, he said are based in Cleveland, Tullahoma and Jackson.

Altogether, he noted the Tennessee CAP groups boast a total of nine airplanes and 45 pilots.

Nationwide, Knepp said, the CAP maintains a fleet of 650 aircraft.

That, he said, represents the largest privately-owned aircraft fleet in the U.S. The CAP, he explained, is a tax-exempt organization that is an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.

On Saturday, CAP pilots flew groups of two cadets per airplane from Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport to other area airports and back.

Some of the flights went to airports near Rogersville, Morristown and Pigeon Forge before returning to Greeneville, Knepp said.

Before each flight departed, he said, the cadets took part in a "ground school" at the Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport.

Once cruising between airports, he said, the cadets were allowed to take the airplane's controls and fly the airplanes under the supervision of the CAP pilots.

The cadets were familiarized with basic aircraft operations, flight maneuvers, use of instruments, weather and navigation.

Lt. Knepp noted that the two new Cessna 182s used on Saturday featured computerized instrument displays, including weather radar, a terrain avoidance system and a GPS navigation system.

Two of the cadets who took part in one of the orientation flights were Allen Gregg, 13, and Mark Patrick, 14, both students at Greeneville High School. It had been Gregg's first flight.

The first Civil Air Patrol members served their country in 1941 by sinking or chasing away German submarines off the United States coasts.

CAP's Web site says, "Today, CAP handles 90 percent of inland search and rescue missions, with approximately 75 lives saved each year.

"Our members are generally the first on the scene transmitting satellite digital images of the damage within seconds around the world and providing disaster relief and emergency services following natural and man-made disasters ..."