Maine Wing Commander
Colonel Mark Hyland serves as the Maine Wing Commander and Disaster Relief Officer. He is responsible for developing the skills and capabilities of the members of Maine Wing and directs the execution of Disaster Relief Missions. He builds and maintains strong relationships with State and Federal Agencies, and Maine National Guard.
Previously, Colonel Hyland served for nearly six years as Squadron Commander of the 77th Composite Squadron in Lewiston/Auburn, and for eight years as the Wing Public Affairs Officer. He was responsible for growing the squadron to over 40 members and led our participation in CAP’s primary missions: Aerospace Education, Cadet Programs, and Emergency Services. He has also served as a squadron Emergency Services Officer.
Colonel Hyland holds private pilot ratings for single engine airplanes and seaplanes. He has more than 1,300 flight hours, including more than 700 as a CAP pilot. Colonel Hyland serves additional duty as Senior Mission SAR Pilot, and holds or has held many ICS/NIMS qualifications. He has participated in Homeland Security exercises, including Vigilant Guard 2014 and MQ-9 Reaper escort missions in New York.
In his professional career, Mark Hyland was Director of Operations and Response for the Maine Emergency Management Agency. His division was responsible for dam safety, training first responders, regulating hazardous materials, training exercises, and operation of the State of Maine Emergency Operations Center during man-made and natural disasters. He participated in search and rescue operations, damage assessments, and gathering data for emergency response to flooding, hurricanes, ice storms, power outages, and other disasters. In addition, for nearly 30 years he was a Bureau Director and Director of Response and Remediation for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. In those roles, he was responsible for the clean-up of oil spills, SUPERFUND and other state hazardous and solid waste sites, including three large military SUPERFUND sites. He was certified by FEMA and the US Coast Guard as an Incident Commander (IC) and Area Commander (AC).
He has Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Geology from the University of Maine. Colonel Hyland is married to Faye Luppi, and they have two adult sons and two granddaughters. He and his wife own a Cessna 172M, and he holds a Technician Class Amateur Radio Operator License (KC1BBI). He and his wife have lived in Poland Spring, Maine, for over 40 years; he also volunteers on local town boards and committees.
Commander’s Intent:
"As Maine Wing Commander, I will provide a safe, welcoming, and diverse environment of transparent
professionalism for all members. Members will achieve professional growth through Civil Air Patrol’s
Core Values: Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence, and Respect.
Maine Wing will focus on Civil Air Patrol’s three main missions:
AEROSPACE EDUCATION: We need pilots! We must scour the community for new pilots and find retired
experienced pilots who want to mentor those new pilots. We also need more UAS pilots to expand our
skill set. I want to engage school teachers through TOP Flight Program. Every squadron should recruit at
least one school teacher for an orientation flight and find ways to support them with CAP resources in
the classroom. We will recruit new cadets and senior members from that effort. We must provide an
environment for Civil Air Patrol members and the local community to spread awareness, training, and
growth opportunities within STEM career paths. Guest speakers from all sorts of aerospace areas will be
invited to educate us in our squadrons. Our squadrons will participate in aerospace events like Rocket
Day, Aurora Watch, Airshows, Museum visits and Eclipse Monitoring.
CADET PROGRAMS: We have attracted great cadets, parents and seniors but we must keep that
enthusiasm! The cohort process can work, bringing in new cadets and keeping them, by mentoring in
groups for advancement. Cadets will complete all of their orientation flights, not just the required first
flight. Cadet activities should expand to include other aviation pursuits like visiting aircraft repair shops,
NWS stations, and aerospace manufacturing facilities. We seek to mentor growing teenagers to become
high quality leaders for tomorrow’s America via: physical education/training through fitness exercises;
character/moral development through Values for Living; servant leadership modeled after the United
States Air Force; and aerospace opportunities through exploring topics such as aviation, space and
technology.
EMERGENCY SERVICES: We must enhance our partnerships with the Maine Emergency Management
Agency, Warden Service, Forestry, Marine Resources and the State Police. We want to be their first call
when looking for assistance in manmade or natural disasters. To be successful, we have to train with
their staff and market our abilities in aviation, ground and UAS. Our members want to have meaningful
roles and help our communities. We will train and prepare members to become mission-ready for any
assistance requested by local first-responders, United States Air Force, and the CAP National Operations
Center. We will expand our services to the state, county and local levels by training our members to
work inside Emergency Operation Centers through CERT, Shelter and other NIMS Training.
End State: It is important that we understand how to be vigilant for personal and team success. Every
member that represents the wing is a key stakeholder towards carrying out our goals. We as a team
must strive toward performing with excellence while personally achieving growth and success. The wing
commander will be transparent, adaptable, and provide opportunities for positive growth."
Semper Vigilans,
- Col Mark Hyland, Maine Wing Commander
