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Producing Pilots day...and night!
Posted 7/20/2012 Updated 7/23/2012
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Commentary by Chief Master Sgt. George Young
14th Operations Group Superintendent
7/20/2012 - COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Earlier this summer my wife and I had the privilege of having both our daughter and son home awaiting their next college year to begin. As I imagine with most young adults, one of the things they were most looking forward to was not having to wake to the sounds of an alarm clock.
Little did they know that we at Columbus Air Force Base have our own alarm clock that cannot be silenced and does not have a snooze: The sound of T-6A Texan II's buzzing overhead at first daylight combined with the sweet sound of reveille at 7 a.m. It did not take long before my daughter (because my son can apparently sleep through anything) grew a "fond appreciation" of the pilot curriculum requiring them to fly at night. I however knew how important night flying training was for the student pilots overhead and that some of the best Airmen my group has to offer were giving their all to make it happen safely.
Every three weeks when much of the base is closing their doors after a long day's work and the sound of retreat is echoing across the wing, a large group of enlisted 14th Operations Group Airmen are getting prepared to fill the night skies over Columbus with the familiar sound of producing pilots. This group consists of Airmen in Squadron Aviation Resource Management, Aircrew Flight Equipment, Weather and Air Traffic Control. For all of these Airmen duty hours are not determined by a clock but are tied to the start and end of flying operations, which often fluctuate day to day. During night operations their schedules must be adjusted from covering a 12 hour flying window to a 16 hour or longer flying window. The dedication and drive that these Airmen display is one reason why we don't just produce pilots, we produce the Air Force's best pilots.
There is no arguing that it takes an entire wing to produce pilots. However I am comforted by knowing that long after I have settled in for the night that there is a group of enlisted Airmen on duty not worried about the hands on a clock, but rather are focused on getting all our aircraft home safely. As we complete another week of night flying, even though my daughter has already returned to college, I hope all the children enjoyed their peaceful mornings. |
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