The Australian Civil Air Patrol (AusCAP) was founded over twenty years ago as the Volunteer Air Patrol, with the mission of providing community based volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. In the mid nineties, the organisation changed its name to the present one and became registered as a company. Over the organisation’s twenty years of service, AusCAP has grown to include airborne emergency transport of personnel and equipment, maritime searches, overland searches, and angel flights.

The organisation is based loosely on the highly successful US Civil Air Patrol. The Civil Air Patrol was founded in America during WWII. Its purpose was to assist in border protection by spotting and destroying enemy submarines in the harbours. The Civil Air Patrol now comes under the wing of the US Air Force with many bases throughout the US for the purpose of conducting Search and Rescue (SAR) operations.

AusCAP is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission statement is ’’to serve the community by providing aerial support in times of need“. Members come from all walks of life and freely offer their time to attend regular training sessions as well as involvement in actual operations. While many members are pilots, many are not. Non-pilots are encouraged to act as trained Observers during searches, while pilots may act as either Pilot in Command or Co-Pilot for missions. We welcome anyone with an aviation passion and a desire to provide a quality Search and Rescue service to the wider community. It is this sense of service and commitment which has seen the organisation grow to its current size with our headquarters in Bankstown. The long-term plan is to develop squadrons across Australia to provide early and immediate response to call-outs, and in-depth local knowledge.

The Australian Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer aerial Search and Rescue organisation with over twenty years experience in the provision of quality air operations. AusCAP is a company limited by guarantee, as per Australian Securities Investment Commission and a registered charity for taxation purposes.