It’s no secret the Air Force needs more pilots, but to train those pilots, you need instructor pilots.

The 43rd Flying Training Squadron “Firebirds” at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, started as two reserve flights of T-38 instructors. They became so lucrative they grew into a single squadron, with flights in every pilot Training squadron.

Before present day, it was named the 29th Bombardment Squadron on Dec. 22, 1939, and was activated in February 1940. They flew B-17s and B-18s before World War II and switched to the B-29 Superfortress during the war; it was deactivated afterward.

Today, the 43rd FTS, a geographically separated unit of the 340th Flying Training Group, Randolph AFB, Texas, is a reserve associate unit that works side-by-side with the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus AFB. The 340th FTG, commanded by Col. Roger Suro, is the largest flying group in the Air Force, consisting of 425 instructor pilots assigned to six squadrons at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; Columbus AFB; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas; and the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado. 

43rd FTS reserve instructors fly all three 14th FTW aircraft, including the T-1A Jayhawk, T-6A Texan II and T-38 Talon and are spread throughout the squadrons.

“Here’s the big picture, we are all reserve here at the 43rd [FTS],” said Lt. Col. Brent Drown, 43rd FTS Commander. “We supply the instructors and each squadron supplies the planes. There are around 85 43rd [FTS] IPs divided among each flying squadron.”

Instructors are vital to one of the most rewarding missions in military flying: training and mentoring the next generation of Air Force officers and pilots.

“Our mission is, quite literally, ‘Deliver unrivaled instructors to Air Education Training Command,’” Drown said. “That’s our bumper sticker, our motto. AETC is all about production, cranking out pilots. We closely track our contributions to Columbus’ mission. Of all the IPs in this wing, we account for 12 to 13 percent of the manpower, but we do 16 percent of the pilot production.”

Reserve instructors usually come straight from an active-duty IP spot and are able to fit right into Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training.

“The guys here have already done an active duty instructor assignment and are generally more experienced,” said Maj. Allan Chun, 43rd FTS Systems Flight Commander.

“What makes us so cost effective is the fact we primarily hire straight from the active-duty Airmen who are current qualified,” Drown said. “Active-duty pilots who are selected to be instructors have to go to Pilot Instructor Training. The vast majority of our guys are already qualified on active duty and they just, as we say, ‘walk across the street and trade patches.’ This eliminates the PIT training cost.”

It isn’t always easy having a squadron where all its members are spread out, according to Drown.

“It is a very unique scenario,” Drown said. “One of our biggest challenges lies in the fact we are all spread out. I am a firm believer the number one priority of communication is face-to-face. I spend at least two to three hours a day just walking through the squadrons to establish that communication.”

Reserve instructor pilots are usually very senior compared to first assignment instructor pilots, allowing them to mentor newer IPs and take on some additional duties.

“Our guys have a lot of experience as opposed to a FAIP or a brand new instructor from PIT,” Drown said. “This allows us to perform up to 50 percent of the ground supervision duties. In addition, some of our guys fill command level positions in the other squadrons.”

The squadron has some full time reservists and others who come in for one week of each month to fulfill their reserve commitment.

“Our squadron is about 20 percent what we call full-time support,” Drown said. “The full-time support is there to take care of the part timers who only come in for one week a month.”

The 43rd FTS has another unique function in the event of a major war breaking out.

“In the case of an absolute need to put active-duty IPs back in their weapon systems, Air Force Reserve Command has the authority to put traditional reservists back on active-duty status to buffer the loss of the active-duty IPs,” Drown said.

Being a reservist with the 43rd FTS gives valuable service, total force integration and the freedom to serve, without some active duty constraints, Chun said.

“In some ways, being a reservist with the 43rd gives you the benefits of being active duty without some of the drawbacks,” Chun said. “The big picture is the volunteer idea. You can choose to some extent which unity you go to and the usual PCS cycle does not apply.”

TFI is able to function well when there is a positive relationship between the reserve component and active duty. The 43rd FTS displays just how effective TFI can be.