Reynoldsburg Freshman is an Old Pro in the Cockpit

Christina Verplatse is too young to get behind the wheel of a car -- but in the cockpit, she's an old pro.

The 14-year-old freshman at Reynoldsburg High School's Summit Road campus, is a chief master sergeant in the Civil Air Patrol.

"I love the feeling in the air (but) on a bumpy day it can be interesting," said Verplatse, whose father is 1st Lt. Allen Verplatse, commander of the Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker Composite Squadron, one of four central Ohio units of the Civil Air Patrol.

The Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker Composite Squadron recently relocated its meetings to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 8794, 4100 E. Main St. in Whitehall.

Its local chapter will host an open house from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, at the VFW to introduce the Civil Air Patrol and recruit potential cadets -- boys and girls ages 12-18.

Established Dec. 1, 1941 -- seven days before Pearl Harbor -- as a volunteer auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

"The open house is meant to try and bring new cadets into our patrol," Allen Verplatse said.

Civil Air Patrol members will greet visitors and explain the patrol's missions.

The squadron is looking to add nine to 12 students between the ages of 12-18 for its cadet program, as well as three adults as senior members.

Read more and watch the interviews in the Reynoldsburg News