08/30/2026
CAP Cadets Help Young Eagles Take Flight at Arlington Community Airport Day
ARLINGTON, Washington — For many of the young people arriving at Arlington Municipal Airport on 23 Aug. 2026, the day brought something they had never experienced before: a flight in a small aircraft.
Waiting for those airplanes on the ground were young people experiencing aviation from another perspective — Civil Air Patrol cadets helping keep aircraft moving safely on the flight line.
Arlington Composite Squadron supported Community Airport Day as the Young Eagles program introduced children ages 8 to 17 to general aviation. Participants attended an educational ground-school session before taking to the air with volunteer pilots. Following their flights, each young aviator received a certificate and commemorative wings.
Throughout the day, Arlington cadets worked alongside CAP senior members, marshaling aircraft as Young Eagles flights moved on and off the ramp.
The squadron also welcomed visiting cadets from several Washington Wing units, including Overlake Composite Squadron, Northshore Composite Squadron, Fort Vancouver Composite Squadron and units from Eastern Washington. Visiting cadets assisted with a variety of duties throughout the event.
Among them was C/A1C Seerat Mann of Fort Vancouver Composite Squadron, who had an opportunity to join Arlington cadets on the flight line.
Arlington Composite Squadron Cadet Commander C/Capt Lauren Schultz spent time working one-on-one with Mann, demonstrating aircraft marshaling signals and coaching her through the process.
Then came the opportunity to put the lesson into action.
With an aircraft approaching, Mann stepped into position with the marshaling wands and, under supervision, guided the airplane into its parking spot.
When the aircraft was safely parked, the lesson ended with a high-five.
It was a quick celebration on a busy flight line, but one that captured something larger about Civil Air Patrol's Cadet Program: cadets teaching cadets, sharing what they know and giving one another the confidence to take the next step.
That same spirit of mentorship also shows in Capt Kenny Bates, who brought three decades of Civil Air Patrol experience to the flight line. Bates' connection to Arlington Composite Squadron is part of a family legacy. His mother served as the squadron's first commander, and his father also served as commander.
That legacy continues with another generation. Bates' daughter, C/A1C Pepper Bates, now serves as an Arlington cadet and worked alongside her father during the day's flight-line operations.
Aircraft marshaling requires more than knowing where to point a pair of orange wands. Cadets must maintain situational awareness, communicate clearly, and work together in an active aviation environment. The day's activities gave them an opportunity to put those skills into practice while taking an active role in an event designed to introduce another generation of young people to aviation.
That made Community Airport Day a natural fit for Civil Air Patrol.
Two of CAP's three primary missions — Cadet Programs and Aerospace Education — were easy to see throughout the day. While Young Eagles participants discovered aviation from inside the cockpit, CAP cadets built their own aviation knowledge, leadership skills, and confidence on the ground.
The event also gave cadets from several Washington Wing squadrons an opportunity to work together outside their regular unit activities, sharing experience and building connections with fellow CAP members from across the state.
For some of the day's Young Eagles, that first flight may have sparked a lifelong interest in aviation.
And just a few feet away, Civil Air Patrol cadets were showing them one of the many places that interest can lead.
Shelley Johnson, Arlington Composite Squadron PAO
