National Cadet Special Activities (NCSA) are Cadet Programs conducted by the Civil Air Patrol. NCSAs are designed to give cadets direct hands on experience with various aspects of the Civil Air Patrol program and provide meaningful insight into several aviation-related careers. There are 46 different special activities that a cadet may attend as of 2021. Each activity is approximately a week long, and all but two are offered during the Summer.
The variety of NCSAs offered by CAP gives cadets a diverse experience. Activities focus on career exploration, leadership development, search and rescue skills, aeronautical training, Air Force familiarization, government, and a variety of other topics.[1]
Awarded to cadets and officers who participate in National Cadet Special Activities. Participants must be identified by the Civil Air Patrol project officer and approved by the member's region commander. Each subsequent activity is represented by a bronze star affixed to the basic ribbon. Cadets earning this ribbon may continue to wear the ribbon as a Senior Member.
Cadets are selected to attend NCSAs with a points-based scoring system. Before cadets will be scored, their Squadron Commander and Wing Commander must approve their applications to their chosen NCSAs. Some squadrons may implement interviews or have a conversation with cadets and their parents/guardians about that cadet's chosen NCSAs. After the list of NCSAs for the upcoming summer is published, interested cadets must file their application online at Civil Air Patrol's e-Services website. Cadets have until the 15th of January to file their applications. If a cadet wishes to attend more than one NCSA, the cadet should indicate each activity he or she wishes to attend, and rank them in order from highest to lowest. Cadets should indicate any activity in which they wish to participate, even if the dates overlap.
The Objective Scoring System was designed to evaluate cadets in a fair, impartial, and standardized manner. Cadets earn points based on their age, rank, years of service, and prior activities. A squadron commander's recommendation, also known as a "green light", will add 100 points to a cadet's score. Ties between cadets with the same score are broken by age. These scores are calculated on February 18, so changes made after February 18 (such as promotions or birthdays) are not accounted for.
| 18+ = 10 points | Spaatz = 20 points | 5+ years = 15 points | None = 15 points | Yes = 100 points | |
| 17 = 8 pts | Eaker = 16 pts | 4 years = 12 pts | 1 Activity = 10 points | ||
| 16 = 6 pts | Earhart = 14 pts | 3 years = 9 pts | 2 activities = 5 pts | ||
| 15 = 4 pts | Mitchell = 12 pts | 2 years = 5 pts | 3+ activities = 0 pts | ||
| 14 = 3 pts | Wright Bros = 8 pts | 1 year = 2 pts | |||
| <14 = 0 pts | None = 0 pts | <1 years = 0 pts |
After cadets are scored, they are grouped together by their category. The highest scoring cadet is assigned to his or her highest desired NCSA, followed by the second highest scoring cadet, and so on, until all cadets have been assigned. Cadets are automatically assigned to their most desired activity that has space available. Although all cadets have a chance to be assigned, not every cadet will be assigned because of a limited number of spaces. Cadets who have not been selected for an activity will be marked as "alternates", and will be moved to "primary" status as vacancies open up according to their score. The list of alternates for an activity is commonly referred to as a "short list", and slotting from the short list is handled by the Activity Director.
On or about 1 March, cadets will be notified of their selection (or not) for each NCSA they applied for. Cadets are notified via the e-Services website.
Additionally, activity directors should contact their participants by 1 April and provide further information about the activity. Cadets must pay activity fees by 15 April or risk losing their slot to an alternate.
On 6 June 2020, Civil Air Patrol released a list of activities for 2021.[2]
| Activity | Location | Category | |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Character and Leadership Symposium | Virtual - Hosted by the United States Air Force Academy | Leadership | |
| Northeast Region Cadet Leadership School | Virtual | Leadership | |
| Alaska Wing Glider Flight Academy | Clear Space Force Station, AK | Flight | |
| Alaska Wing Powered Flight Academy | Clear Space Force Station, AK | Flight | |
| Shirley Martin Powered Flight Academy | Nacogdoches, TX | Flight | |
| Northcentral Region Glider Flight Academy | Yoder, KS | Flight | |
| Northcentral Region Powered Flight Academy | Fremont, NE | Flight | |
| Great Lakes Region Powered Flight Academy | Oshkosh, WI | Flight | |
| Space Command Familiarization Course | Peterson Air Force Base, CO | Air Force | |
| Desert Scorpion Search and Rescue Academy | Wendover Army Airfield, UT | Operations Training | |
| Engineering Technologies Academy (Robotics Focus) | United States Air Force Academy, CO | Technology | |
| Pacific Region and Rocky Mountain Region Joint Honor Academy | United States Air Force Academy, CO | Air Force | |
| LtCol Raymond Johnson Flight Academy | Columbus, IN | Flight | |
| Northeast Region Glider Flight Academy | Fredericksburg, PA | Flight | |
| Southwest Region Powered Flight Academy | Shawnee, OK | Flight | |
| Air Force Civil Engineering Academy | Tyndall Air Force Base, FL | Air Force | |
| National Cyber Academy (VA) | Hampton Roads, VA | Air Force | |
| Engineering Technologies Academy | Virtual | Technology | |
| Robert Ayres Solo and Ground Academy | Hagerstown, MD | Flight | |
| National Virtual Private Pilot Ground School | Virtual | Flight | |
| Southwest Region Glider Flight Academy | Clovis, NM | Flight | |
| Utah Wing Powered Flight Academy | West Jordan, UT | Flight | |
| National Cadet Competition | Wright State University, OH | Leadership | |
| Southeast Region Glider Flight Academy | Tullahoma, TN | Flight | |
| Air Force Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (MS) | Columbus Air Force Base, MS | Air Force | |
| Falcon Powered Flight Academy | Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ | Flight | |
| Hawk Mountain Search and Rescue School | Kempton, PA | Operations Training | |
| Texas Wing Powered Flight Academy | Waller, TX | Flight | |
| Aircraft Maintenance and Manufacturing Academy | Wichita, KS | Aviation | |
| Col Roland Butler Powered Flight Academy | Camden, SC | Flight | |
| New Hampshire Wing Non-Commissioned Officer School | Norwich University, NH | Leadership | |
| National Blue Beret | Oshkosh, WI | Leadership | |
| Desert Eagle Flight Academy | Ephrata, WA | Flight | |
| Space Command Familiarization Course | Patrick Air Force Base, FL | Air Force | |
| National Cyber Academy (TX) | San Antonio, TX | Air Force | |
| Great Lakes Region Cybersecurity Academy | Virtual | Technology | |
| Mid-Atlantic Region Honor Guard Academy | Camp Pendleton (Virginia) | Air Force | |
| Air Force Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (TX) | Laughlin Air Force Base, TX | Air Force | |
| Civic Leadership Academy | Virtual | Leadership | |
| Air Force Pararescue and Survival Orientation Course | Kirtland Air Force Base, NM | Air Force | |
| Air Force Advanced Pararescue and Survival Orientation Course | Davis Monthan Air Force Base, AZ | Air Force | |
| Cadet Aviation Ground School | Virtual | Flight | |
| Cadet Officer School | Maxwell Air Force Base | Leadership | |
| International Air Cadet Exchange | World-Wide | Leadership | |
| National Emergency Services Academy | Camp Atterbury, IN | Operations Training |