Jill Fennema

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a non profit organization that serves as a civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. It has a cadet program for young people from ages 12 to 18. These cadets learn about aviation, aerospace, and leadership – just to name a few things.

Bentley Kounkel, a 7th grader at Edgerton Public School and resident of Jasper, has been in the CAP for a little over a year. In that time, he has reached the rank of Tech Sergeant, which means he has “ranked up” five times. His staff position is that of public affairs, which means he gets to take a lot of photographs – another of his passions. 

Bentley decided to join the CAP because they have a good aviation program. His great-grandpa, Dick Ruiter, served in the South Dakota Air National Guard (SDANG) for 40 years. Bentley’s uncle, Greg Arp, was also a member of SDANG for 21 years. 

Bentley’s parents, Brandon and Kelly Kounkel, are very supportive of Bentley’s aviation hobby. He has purchased lots of model airplanes and receives them as gifts, too. He has a collection of airplane trading cards – 128 cards, 75 of which are Delta cards. 

Bentley’s first air show was the Sioux Falls Air Show in 2023. He and his family attended the Aviation Day before the South Dakota Air Show in 2024. While there, Bentley saw a booth for the Civil Air Patrol and his curiosity was piqued. They also visited the Maverick Air Center, which is a private air terminal at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

Last summer, Bentley went to the Oshkosh, Wisconsin Air Show, which is the largest air show in the world. He attended that with his family and Great-grandpa Ruiter.  

As mentioned, Bentley joined CAP because of their aviation program. Through their flight program, he can earn his pilot’s license for free. He is already on his way to learning how to fly. He has flown two of his orientation flights. He flew with Jim Juhl – a pilot out of Luverne -a few times, and last time he flew Juhl coached Bentley through landing a Cessna 150H on his own.