National Cadet Special Activities

NCSA Ribbion

National Cadet Special Activities (NCSA) are exciting training opportunities for cadets to experience unique opportunities to further their leadership skills, develop knowledge in various aviation and career related fields, and grow personally. NCSAs encompass a wide range of activities, each focusing on different aspects such as aerospace education, leadership development, physical fitness, and more. NCSAs typically last 7-9 days. Many take place during the summer, but there are opportunities through the year.

Going to NCSAs

Scoring system

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.

Objective Scoring System

Age	Achievement	Longevity	Prior Activities	Green Light
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

List of NCSAs

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
Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Familiarization Course	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
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