Most high school students are just focused on getting their driver’s license, but some take the meaning of ‘getting their license’ to a whole new altitude.

On Thursday nights between 6:30 and 9:00 in Barker Hall at Washington Irving Middle School, the members of the Burke Composite Squadron, which is a branch of the volunteer organization Civil Air Patrol (CAP), meet and do their usual routine.

“We fall information to tell who is there,” said sophomore Claire Gillian, who currently ranks a Cadet Master Sergeant, “talk about current aerospace events in the news and then have a class on aerospace, emergency services, customs and curtesies.”

The CAP is a branch of the Air Force that people as young as 12 can join. They learn about aerospace including rockets, planes and the science that goes into them, emergency services and leadership skills for rank promotion or even for life.

“I do plan on pursuing a career in flying. Right now I’m applying through Civil Air Patrol to attend the National Flight Academy,” said sophomore Emmy Dillion, who currently ranks a Cadet 2nd Lieutenant. “Once I graduate from high school, I want to be in Air Force ROTC and become a fighter pilot or a C-17 pilot in the Air Force.”

Dillion isn’t the only CAP member who wishes to strive for a career in flying; Gillian has made plans to as well.

“For my career I want to fly for the secret service, but I’ll start out flying for the FBI and work my way up,” said Gillian. “If those two competitive jobs don’t work I might just be a medevac.”

Many aspiring pilots decide to go into the field from a moment of inspiration or from an idol, like Amelia Earhart. CAP has been a great place for many of them to start working towards achieving their dreams.

“Over the summer I flew in a C-130, which is a big military transport plane,” said sophomore Sarah Nutbrown, who ranks a Cadet Chief Master Sergeant. “I got to go into the cockpit and the view was amazing. It’s an amazing feeling to be up in the air see the world from a ‘birds eye view.’”