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Columbus AFB pilots compete in turkey shoot competition

Capt. Taylin Eckols, 48th Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, fires at a clay target Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Instructor pilots competing in the turkey shoot event shot at 25 flying targets for a possible total of 100 points for this piece of the competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Capt. Taylin Eckols, 48th Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, fires at a clay target Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Instructor pilots competing in the turkey shoot event shot at 25 flying targets for a possible total of 100 points for this piece of the competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Officers competing in the turkey shoot event watch other individuals shoot clay pigeons Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Instructor pilots from each flying training squadron competed in multiple events while simultaneously meeting several continuation training requirements. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Officers competing in the turkey shoot event watch other individuals shoot clay pigeons Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Instructor pilots from each flying training squadron competed in multiple events while simultaneously meeting several continuation training requirements. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Shells lay scattered at the firing range after the turkey shoot’s skeet shooting event Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Skeet shooting was one of three parts during the competition and shooters had a chance earn 100 points, the total competition was out of 300 points. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Shells lay scattered at the firing range after the turkey shoot’s skeet shooting event Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Skeet shooting was one of three parts during the competition and shooters had a chance earn 100 points, the total competition was out of 300 points. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Second Lt. Daniel Caddigan, 14th Student Squadron student pilot, waits for a T-6A Texan II to land during the turkey shoot event Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Caddigan was responsible for marking spots where the aircraft first touched down to help score how well the landing was performed. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Second Lt. Daniel Caddigan, 14th Student Squadron student pilot, waits for a T-6A Texan II to land during the turkey shoot event Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Caddigan was responsible for marking spots where the aircraft first touched down to help score how well the landing was performed. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

A T-6A Texan II prepares to land during the turkey shoot event Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Competitors performed tasks during their flight and had their landings evaluated to test their aviation abilities in the T-6, the T-1A Jayhawk and the T-38 Talon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

A T-6A Texan II prepares to land during the turkey shoot event Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Competitors performed tasks during their flight and had their landings evaluated to test their aviation abilities in the T-6, the T-1A Jayhawk and the T-38 Talon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Two T-38 Talons land during the turkey shoot event Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Two aircraft were graded and averaged together for the T-38 event because it was considered a formation flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

Two T-38 Talons land during the turkey shoot event Oct. 26, 2017, on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Two aircraft were graded and averaged together for the T-38 event because it was considered a formation flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keith Holcomb)

COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Twenty-three teams from six of Columbus Air Force Base’s flying squadrons competed in a “turkey shoot” competition here Oct. 26, competing in skeet shooting, low-level flying and landings.
Teams of three from the 37th, 41st, 43rd, 48th and 50th Flying Training Squadrons and the 49th Fighter Training Squadron competed in the three events and were scored out of a possible 300 points.
Lt. Col. Tom McElhinney, 43rd FTS Operations Officer, said pilots have continuation requirements they must meet every six months, like landing and low-level flying, and this was a fun way to meet these requirements.
“As opposed to the day-to-day grind, of ‘I’m just going out and doing a landing,’ now it’s ‘How precise can that landing be? How precise can I be over this target?’” McElhinney said. “Where a lot of times, 10 or 15 or 20 seconds isn’t a big deal, well, today it is.”
During the skeet shooting portion of the competition, shooters were given a shotgun and had 25 clays to shoot at, with a total possible score of 100.
The low-level piece of the competition had two parts. First, the pilots had to pass by an identified target during a certain time. They lost a point for every second they were early or late. The second part included identifying a target. During the low-level, they had to identify the make and color of a vehicle that was sitting in a designated area.
Landing was the third part of the competition and pilots were given a point and judged on the precision and quality of their landing.
“It gave us a good way, a fun way to go out there and get the training requirements accomplished that we needed to,” said Maj. Reed Martin, 37th FTS Chief of Standard and Evaluation, who was also a member of the overall winning team.
Other members of Martin’s team included Capts. Mike Butler and Chad Aukerman, both Assistant Chiefs of Training for the 37th FTS. Their team had a combined score of 246 points.
Martin said one of the biggest obstacles included navigating flying portions of the competition without any GPS. As instructor pilots, he said it’s a fundamental skill they teach their students, but don’t get much practical use themselves.
Organizing the event, McElhinney said another obstacle was planning a competition that involved three airframes and making it fair for each them. Airframes included the T-1A Jayhawk, T-6A Texan II and the T-38 Talon, and each have their own limitations and requirements.
Regardless of the airframe, this was a chance for pilots to see how they compare to others that fly the same airframe, while also bringing to light their strengths and weaknesses.
“I just like the competition; as a pilot, I kind of like to see where I’m at versus everybody else,” McElhinney said. “Sometimes you think you’re maybe not as good as you are or maybe you think that you’re better than you are. This answers it, it’s pretty objective.”
The winning group received gift cards for base organizations, a trophy and three-day pass. Winning groups from each of the squadrons also received a three-day pass.