Civil Air Support (Formerly known as Sky Watch/Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol/SWCAP), is a volunteer civil aviation organisation founded in 2000 in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Civil Air Support federates the efforts of small aircraft, microlight and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilots to assist agencies,
emergency service
Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal wit ...
s and individuals. The registered charity provides complementary environmental, humanitarian and community support to those who would otherwise have no access to airborne assistance. Civil Air Support will not compete with established air resources and will only operate when the alternative is no air support at all.
It has over 100 members and is the "largest charitable air observation organisation in Europe".
. All Civil Air Support members are volunteers and all flights are private. Members are either pilots, observers or operate in a supporting role. Many of the charity's pilots are highly experienced, ex-military or from a commercial aviation background.
While similar in function to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...
, Civil Air Support is considerably younger and does not have the same degree of integration with the
air force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
/
naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases.
Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...
.
See also
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Civil defense
Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...
*
4x4 Response
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Lighthouse Authorities
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Incident response team
An incident response team (IRT) or emergency response team (ERT) is a group of people who prepare for and respond to an emergency, such as a natural disaster or an interruption of business operations. Incident response teams are common in public s ...
References
External links
Civil Air Support official websiteOfficial facebook page
Aviation organisations based in the United Kingdom
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