10th AF Commander speaks at 12-06 Graduation

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chase Hedrick
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Commander, 10th Air Force, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, spoke at the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 12-06 graduation at the Kaye Auditorium.

Brig. Gen. William "Blaze" Binger spoke on the importance of the Air Force Reserves to both the pilot training mission and the overall Air Force, but not before taking a moment to fall off script and share a laugh about out how quickly the base had accepted his call-sign.

"I am very impressed with what I've seen here in my very first trip to Columbus Air Force Base," said Binger. "Showing up with Team BLAZE written all over everything and mentioned everywhere... I don't know why I haven't been stationed here before!"

Columbus Air Force Base's own 43rd Flying Training Squadron fell under the 10th Air Force until last October during a restructuring of three numbered Air Forces. Binger did speak of his experience as the 10th AF Commander when the 43rd fell under his purview, and how the reserve component of the pilot training mission is important.

"The 43rd (FTS), the 100 or so instructor pilots we have here, contribute daily to all of these flying operations. We have reserve instructor pilots that, who some of them have been here for quite a while. So as that first assignment IP, that FAIP does his 2 or 3 year gig and leaves, then you have experienced pilots come in and do their 2 or 3 year gig and leave. You're left with a core of people, 100 or so that have longevity, they have thousands of hours of instructor time in a particular airframe," he said. "We can add a lot of continuity to the operations."

Each of the components of the total force has their strengths and weaknesses said Binger. However he noted that one of the greatest strengths of the National Guard and Reserves is retaining valuable years of experience.

"My adage is: How long does it take to make a 10 year crew chief? It takes 10 years," he said. "You can't just do that overnight. So capturing experience and having the right balance is very important."