COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Two weeks before student pilots at Columbus Air Force Base graduate Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, they find out their first assignment and aircraft during a casual, long standing tradition known as assignment night.
Several weeks of anticipation build up to this night where the pilots will find out their destiny, and those outcomes are a result of several factors the Air Force Personnel Center looks at when handing out assignments.
“Assignment night, in short is the best part of Columbus Air Force Base’s mission,” said 1st Lt. Nikolas Elson, Wing Assignment Night Officer. “While graduation is the point that the students become winged Air Force pilots, this night represents the aspects of pilot training that makes it so effective: competition and comradery.”
The event kicks off with enlisted and commander’s toasts to wish the SUPT class good luck on their journey, and the enlisted Airmen are also recognized for their efforts in helping the pilots succeed.
Then, pilots are called up to the center stage and “introduced” by the master of ceremony with their back to a screen, until they are finally allowed to turn around and see the airframe they’ve earned after 13 months of intense training.
When the students turn around, pending which track they were selected to fly, they will see either a trainer, fighter, tanker, bomber or cargo aircraft and the base they’ve been assigned to.
Some pilots are selected to be a First Assignment Instructor Pilot and will stay at Columbus AFB to train the next generation of pilots.
“It was a huge surprise [to find out my assignment,]” said Capt. Jennifer Crum, 14th Student Squadron student pilot. “When they announced that I got the B-2 Spirit it was unreal.”
Student pilots are selected for their assignment based on their grades in SUPT. Grades consist of how well students execute daily rides in which they’re graded on things such as how well they perform maneuvers, take offs and landings. Students also fly check rides which are like final exams.
Every maneuver is graded along with decision making, situational awareness and communication. The final score is called the Merit Assignment Selection System. This is what determines the class’s ranking and who gets what assignment.
“Flying scores, academic scores, their flight commander ranking, all factor in to their overall rank,” Elson said.
AFPC sends Columbus AFB a list of airframes and assignments they need pilots for. The squadron then matches that list with the preferences of the student pilots.
“After that, the students get a list of the available assignments and rank them based on their desires. The top student receives their top choice and it goes down the list from there,” Elson said.