After graduating from the University of Oklahoma on a four-year USAF ROTC scholorship, I waited 10 months to attend pilot training. Eventually I went to Laughlin AFB, Texas for pilot training.
Student pilot, 1979
I did well enough in pilot training to get my first choice of assignment - T-37 Instructor Pilot. First Assignment Instructor Pilots (FAIPs) were not held in the highest esteem by the rest of the Air Force pilots. Despite that general attitude I wanted to be an instructor and the leadership at Laughlin was thrilled to have three in my class of 31 students volunteer to be FAIPs (1 T-38, 2 T-37s).
Debriefing students, 2Lt FAIP, 1980
While I was teaching primary flight training at Laughlin, the USAF instituted a new program called "Career Trainer." The idea behind Career Trainer was the training command would have their own leadership instead of posting people temporarily from the other flying commands (MAC, TAC, SAC). This would help the other commands with pilot retention since quite a few pilots considered teaching students a dirty job! I loved it. I volunteered for, and was accepted into the Career Trainer forces when I received my second assignment - T-37 IP to Altus AFB, OK. The Altus job was Assistant Detachment Commander for an Accelerated Copilot Enrichment (ACE) detachment. ACE helped SAC co-pilots get flight experience, albeit in T-37s versus KC-135s. While at Altus, I flew out to Tucson to visit one of my old students who was ANG and going thru the A-7 training at Tucson. I managed to finagle a ride in the backseat of an A-7K. Pretty heady stuff for a guy used to the firepower of a T-37!
In front of, and in the backseat of an A7K, 1983.
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