Civil Air Patrol cadet flies solo thanks to flying lessons funded by veterans

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Master Sergeant Eric Warren, of Gilford High School and Gilmanton, received a $1,400 scholarship this past summer to take flying lessons at the CAP’s Great Lakes Region National Powered Flight Academy and to solo successfully at Laconia Municipal Airport. He belongs to the CAP’s Hawk Composite Squadron in Laconia.

Cadet Warren aspires to pursue a military aviation career through Air Force ROTC in college or by attending a military academy. His solo is a huge first step toward him becoming a military pilot and serving and defending the nation.

The scholarship was funded by Daedalians Granite State Flight No. 53 and the national Daedalians organization. The Daedalians are former and current military aviators dedicated to inspiring the next generation of military and civilian air crew through scholarships, flight training, teaching, and mentoring.

Flight No. 53 consists of about 60 former aviators now living in New Hampshire and southern Maine from all the armed services. They have flown almost every type of American military aircraft.

Cadet Warren learned some important lessons about flying and about himself during ground school and his hours aloft.

Among the greatest challenges Cadet Warren indicated he faced in flight training was the amount of information that needed to be studied, memorized, and absorbed.

“The hardest part was definitely the amount of studying,” he said. “The most rewarding part was seeing myself improve and become more independent, going from knowing basically nothing about flying to being able to handle flying on my own."

Cadet Warren was the only NH CAP Cadet selected for a CAP National Powered Flight Academy last summer. Coming from a military family in which his mother, father, and many of his cousins served in the armed forces, he joined CAP because of his interest in aviation, leadership, aerospace education, drill, and orientation flights.

“What I liked the most were my instructors and the people I met along the way,” Cadet Warren said. “Everyone I worked with was willing to help me learn and improve, and I really enjoyed getting to know other people who share the same interest in aviation. My favorite part of flying was ‘touch-and-go’s' because they were challenging and have a massive learning curve."

He has completed the CAP’s General Emergency Services, Incident Command System, and Introductory Communications User training that cover CAP missions, safety, and risk management, the national standard for command, control, and coordination during emergency response, and initial radio training for operating CAP tactical frequencies unsupervised.

After the powered fight academy, Cadet Warren also passed his Federal Aviation Administration Private Pilot Knowledge Test. He intends to apply to the CAP Cadet Wings Program so he can continue his flight training and earn his Private Pilot Certificate.

Warren also has belonged to the Gilford High School varsity track team, where he competes in the shot put, discus, and javelin events. In 2025, he also took part in the long jump event. He plays guard on the varsity football team and has swum the breaststroke and backstroke for the varsity swim team. He also belongs to the mathematics team, chess club, and Theater Tech Crew.

“The biggest lesson I learned is that you should always be flying the airplane,” he said. “If everything is perfect, something is probably wrong. You should always be doing something, even if it is something small, to stay ahead of the airplane. You need to be paying attention constantly, making small adjustments, and thinking about what you need to do next.”