Welcome to the home of the Col Jerry L Ross Composite Squadron, part of the Indiana Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the official Auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Our squadron (GLR-IN-211) is named in honor of the famous American astronaut and USAF officer, Col Jerry L Ross, who is originally from Crown Point, Indiana.  Col Ross is a veteran of seven space shuttle missions, making him the record holder for the most spaceflights by an astronaut (a record he shares with Franklin Chang-Diaz).

Meetings
The Ross Composite Squadron meets at the Griffith-Merrillville Airport, 1705 East Main Street, Griffith, IN  46319.  [MAP] The Ross Composite Squadron is located on the second floor of the main airport building; access is via the main airport building entrance, turn left and enter the last door on the right.  GPS coordinates are 41.5198410 North/ -87.3995080 West [AirNav: 05C].

Seniors Members meet the first, second and third Tuesdays of the month from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Central Time, excluding holidays.  Cadets meet every Tuesday of the month from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Central Time, also excluding holidays.  Meetings may be cancelled at the last minute due to inclement weather or other events.

Join Us! 
For more information on how to become a cadet or senior member of the Civil Air Patrol, please contact the squadron commander, Lt Col Karen Basham, at karen.basham@ross-squadron.org.  Please provide your (1) complete name (with spelling), (2) your interest (senior membership or cadet, for self or your childr child), and (3) your contact information (including callback telephone number) and best time to reach you.   You may also visit the official Civil Air Patrol Website for more information on the Civil Air Patrol, its history, and its mission.

Prospective cadets and senior members are invited to attend one of our squadron meetings and see what the Civil Air Patrol is all about.  All are welcome.



 F-22 Raptor

Useful Links

Civil Air Patrol National Website

Civil Air Patrol -- Indiana Wing 

American Red Cross of Northwest Indiana 

NASA 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

GLR-IN-211 e-Services
Use of GLR-IN-211 e-Services (especially squadron e-mail accounts) must reflect the mission and values of the Civil Air Patrol.  Any abuse of any GLR-IN-211  e-Services will result in termination of access at the discretion of the Squadron Commander.

Yahoo! Group (Members Only) This is the Yahoo! Group set up especially for GLR-IN-211.  Membership is restricted to active squadron senior members, cadets, and other CAP personnel as determined by the Squadron Commander.

Squadron E-Mail (Members Only) Web-based e-mail with a Ross Squadron address.  E-mail can be accessed and downloaded into Outlook, Eudora, Thunderbird, or other POP3 e-mail client application, OR e-mail can be forwarded automatically to your personal e-mail account (including AOL, Yahoo!, Hotmail, Comcast, SBC, etc.).

Squadron Calendar (Members Only) Very powerful online shared group calendar which can be accessed via GLR-IN-211 e-Services or through any e-mail or calendar application that supports web-based calendars (including Outlook, Thunderbird with the Lightning or similar calendar extension).

Squadron Documents (Members Only) Full-featured Excel-like spreadsheets and Word-like documents using web-based Google Apps. 

Birds of North America
(Left to Right: USAF F-22 Raptor, F-117 Nighthawk, F-4 Phantom, F-15 Eagle)
Photographed in formation over Holloman AFB, New Mexico
Courtesy: USAF 
 
 
Information and Statistics for the Civil Air Patrol 
  • Nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation, serving as the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.
  • More than 56,000 members, including 22,000 cadets ages 12-21
  • Eight geographic regions, 52 wings, 1,500 units in all
  • National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., with 100 support staff
  • World’s largest fleet (530) of single-engine, piston aircraft
  • Nation’s most extensive communications network
  • 1,000 emergency services vehicles

CAP Aerospace Education
  • 100 aerospace education workshops each year
  • Aerospace classroom materials, grades K through college
  • Nation’s premier annual aerospace education conference
  • AE program touches more than 900 teachers per year

CAP Cadet Programs
  • Multi-step leadership training
  • Cadet glider and powered orientation flights, flight training scholarships
  • International Air Cadet Exchange program

CAP Operations
  • Performs 90 percent of nation’s inland search and rescue
  • 75 lives on average saved per year
  • Aerial reconnaissance for homeland security
  • Disaster relief and damage assessment
  • Transport for time-sensitive medical materials
  • Counter-narcotic missions