TomVal
Well Known Member
Initially I posted this under Paul Dye?s thread ?Igniting the Spark? but decided to start a separate thread. We in San Diego have been involved in a mentoring program working with the AFROTC cadets at San Diego State University that are slated to start pilot training. I will let the article below describe the program. This article is tentatively scheduled to be published in the December issue of the ?Dispatch?, a magazine of the Commemorative Air Force.
We are overwhelmed by the level of grassroots support our program has received. We are now 10 months into the program and the results have been encouraging. Hopefully other flying communities will consider supporting their neighboring Universities with similar programs.
For those of you whom may be interested in more information, I would be happy to talk with you and/or send you information about the program. Please PM me if so interested. It has been a very rewarding experience for all.
Regards,
Tom
AIR GROUP ONE JOINS the AIR FORCE!
Well, not exactly. Through the efforts of Col Martin Wojtysiak (aka ?Woj?), Commander, Detachment 75, Air Force ROTC, at San Diego State University (SDSU), and in combination with the generous members of CAF ? Air Group One, San Diego, a decision was made to mentor and assist the next generation of military aviators.
SDSU is an AFROTC magnet school. For those students interested in pursuing an Air Force career, that goal can be achieved by completing a four year program offered through SDSU. The AFROTC program is made available to students of 16 area colleges and universities.
The current enrollment of students in the program is approximately 150. Applications have been flooding in and as a result, the bar for acceptance into the AFROTC program has continued to rise.
Many future specialties and disciplines may be pursued by these future officers, but the most coveted position is to be selected as a ?Pilot Select Candidate.? Upon graduation from SDSU and the awarding of their Air Force Commission, these now newly minted 2/Lts will be slotted to attend fixed-wing pilot training or enter the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) track. To be selected for either track infers that you have been thoroughly screened, prodded, and tested. Unlike those of us whom entered military flight training in the 60?s and early 70?s (some joke that ?if you could fog a mirror and read an eye chart you were hired!), it is a major accomplishment for today?s cadets to have survived the selection process and to be awarded a pilot or RPA slot.
Upon graduation, the first major hurdle the cadets must clear is ?IFS?, the USAF Initial Flight Screening Program. IFS is conducted through a civilian contractor, Doss Aviation, out of Pueblo, CO. The training aircraft utilized is the Diamond 20 (DA-20), a two seat, low wing, all composite aircraft.
IFS will be the cadet?s first introduction into formalized military flight training. By design, IFS is challenging and is programmed to take the student just beyond solo. This is where the rubber meets the road. The program is highly time compressed. Early in their senior year the students receive a study link to the program. The underlying message is that ?you best learn this stuff before you get here, cuz you might not have the time otherwise?fight?s on!? You either pass the program or wave your Air Force flight career goodbye. Col Wojtysiak stated that, in previous years, as many as 30% would fail!
In October of 2010, Woj approached Air Group One to discuss the potential causes of the high failure rate. He told us that most cadets entered IFS with little or no flight experience. Although IFS recommends that students acquire some flight training prior to arrival, the fact is, most of these students typically do not have the financial resources to allocate towards such training.
For example, the recently graduated Class of 2011 had five pilot select candidates. One cadet had previously soloed, the remaining four had ?zero? flight time. Col Wojtysiak wanted to do better for his San Diego cadets.
This is where AG-1 stepped in. We proposed to the Colonel that we seek a volunteer group of San Diego area based pilots and explore the possibility of assembling a training package at little to no cost to the cadets. Naturally, he was very much on board with this idea.
At the November 2010 AG-1 staff meeting, our program was reviewed and the staff agreed to support our efforts. The program was designed to be a community outreach of local area pilots willing to share their time, equipment, and expertise, with the upcoming generation of aviators. The support of AG-1 was overwhelming. Seven out of eleven of our primary instructor slots are quickly filled by AG-1 members.
During the development of the program we sought input from IFS. Their bullet points were:
? To assist student to overcome any airsickness tendencies
? To develop strong pitch & power fundamentals
? To develop task management skills
? To develop spot landing accuracy skills
These bullet points were incorporated into the core of our program.
After an AG-1 sponsored kick-off to the flight program last January, where all five candidates received introductory incentive flights, the cadets and volunteers got to work. Seven months later, we are in the process of completing training with the recently commissioned class of 2011. We will continue to work with them up until their IFS report dates next February. On deck is the Cadet Class of 2012, with four more Pilot Selects and one Alternate, who will start training with us later this year.
With the upcoming Class 2012, AG-1?s program will expand from 10 to 15 training sorties. The sorties are broken down into 9 Primary Training sorties, 3 Advanced Training sorties, 1 Aerobatic sortie, and 2 Landing Proficiency sorties.
For the 2011-2012 season, we now have 15 San Diego area based pilots volunteering their expertise to the program. In addition, new for this year, we have a group of volunteer pilots that will be working with the cadet underclassmen receiving incentive rides. The purpose of the incentive flight is motivational (hamburger flight, sightseeing, etc.) and non-instructional in nature. These cadets are in the competitive process towards earning a pilot slot. They will not know the results of the selection until nearing the end of their junior year.
As previously mentioned, the community outreach has been amazing. In addition to the commitment made by the volunteer pilots, a private pilot ground school and classroom facilities were donated for free, and ground school text books were sold at cost.
The synergy of the program has been mutually rewarding. In turn, the cadets have more than shown their appreciation. They are involved in our L-5 restoration project, participated as our representatives in the 4th of July Downtown DFC parade, assisted during our annual AG-1 air show, and have participated in several of our hangar events. This is an example of community outreach at its best, the joint give and take, the mutual support, and benefit enjoyed by all..
None of this could have been possible without the core participation of AG-1. The AG-1 participating pilots are:
Col Bob Simon
Col Kent Casady
Col Darrel Cook
Col Jack Draper
Col Joe Graham
Col Pete Hunt
Col Jim McGarvie
Col Howard Merritt
V/R
Col Bob Simon
Wing Leader
CAF ? Air Group One
San Diego
Article Contributors:
Tom Valenzia
USAF Col Martin ?woj? Wojtysiak
Col Jim McGarvie
Col John Telles
We are overwhelmed by the level of grassroots support our program has received. We are now 10 months into the program and the results have been encouraging. Hopefully other flying communities will consider supporting their neighboring Universities with similar programs.
For those of you whom may be interested in more information, I would be happy to talk with you and/or send you information about the program. Please PM me if so interested. It has been a very rewarding experience for all.
Regards,
Tom
AIR GROUP ONE JOINS the AIR FORCE!
Well, not exactly. Through the efforts of Col Martin Wojtysiak (aka ?Woj?), Commander, Detachment 75, Air Force ROTC, at San Diego State University (SDSU), and in combination with the generous members of CAF ? Air Group One, San Diego, a decision was made to mentor and assist the next generation of military aviators.
SDSU is an AFROTC magnet school. For those students interested in pursuing an Air Force career, that goal can be achieved by completing a four year program offered through SDSU. The AFROTC program is made available to students of 16 area colleges and universities.
The current enrollment of students in the program is approximately 150. Applications have been flooding in and as a result, the bar for acceptance into the AFROTC program has continued to rise.
Many future specialties and disciplines may be pursued by these future officers, but the most coveted position is to be selected as a ?Pilot Select Candidate.? Upon graduation from SDSU and the awarding of their Air Force Commission, these now newly minted 2/Lts will be slotted to attend fixed-wing pilot training or enter the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) track. To be selected for either track infers that you have been thoroughly screened, prodded, and tested. Unlike those of us whom entered military flight training in the 60?s and early 70?s (some joke that ?if you could fog a mirror and read an eye chart you were hired!), it is a major accomplishment for today?s cadets to have survived the selection process and to be awarded a pilot or RPA slot.
Upon graduation, the first major hurdle the cadets must clear is ?IFS?, the USAF Initial Flight Screening Program. IFS is conducted through a civilian contractor, Doss Aviation, out of Pueblo, CO. The training aircraft utilized is the Diamond 20 (DA-20), a two seat, low wing, all composite aircraft.
IFS will be the cadet?s first introduction into formalized military flight training. By design, IFS is challenging and is programmed to take the student just beyond solo. This is where the rubber meets the road. The program is highly time compressed. Early in their senior year the students receive a study link to the program. The underlying message is that ?you best learn this stuff before you get here, cuz you might not have the time otherwise?fight?s on!? You either pass the program or wave your Air Force flight career goodbye. Col Wojtysiak stated that, in previous years, as many as 30% would fail!
In October of 2010, Woj approached Air Group One to discuss the potential causes of the high failure rate. He told us that most cadets entered IFS with little or no flight experience. Although IFS recommends that students acquire some flight training prior to arrival, the fact is, most of these students typically do not have the financial resources to allocate towards such training.
For example, the recently graduated Class of 2011 had five pilot select candidates. One cadet had previously soloed, the remaining four had ?zero? flight time. Col Wojtysiak wanted to do better for his San Diego cadets.
This is where AG-1 stepped in. We proposed to the Colonel that we seek a volunteer group of San Diego area based pilots and explore the possibility of assembling a training package at little to no cost to the cadets. Naturally, he was very much on board with this idea.
At the November 2010 AG-1 staff meeting, our program was reviewed and the staff agreed to support our efforts. The program was designed to be a community outreach of local area pilots willing to share their time, equipment, and expertise, with the upcoming generation of aviators. The support of AG-1 was overwhelming. Seven out of eleven of our primary instructor slots are quickly filled by AG-1 members.
During the development of the program we sought input from IFS. Their bullet points were:
? To assist student to overcome any airsickness tendencies
? To develop strong pitch & power fundamentals
? To develop task management skills
? To develop spot landing accuracy skills
These bullet points were incorporated into the core of our program.
After an AG-1 sponsored kick-off to the flight program last January, where all five candidates received introductory incentive flights, the cadets and volunteers got to work. Seven months later, we are in the process of completing training with the recently commissioned class of 2011. We will continue to work with them up until their IFS report dates next February. On deck is the Cadet Class of 2012, with four more Pilot Selects and one Alternate, who will start training with us later this year.
With the upcoming Class 2012, AG-1?s program will expand from 10 to 15 training sorties. The sorties are broken down into 9 Primary Training sorties, 3 Advanced Training sorties, 1 Aerobatic sortie, and 2 Landing Proficiency sorties.
For the 2011-2012 season, we now have 15 San Diego area based pilots volunteering their expertise to the program. In addition, new for this year, we have a group of volunteer pilots that will be working with the cadet underclassmen receiving incentive rides. The purpose of the incentive flight is motivational (hamburger flight, sightseeing, etc.) and non-instructional in nature. These cadets are in the competitive process towards earning a pilot slot. They will not know the results of the selection until nearing the end of their junior year.
As previously mentioned, the community outreach has been amazing. In addition to the commitment made by the volunteer pilots, a private pilot ground school and classroom facilities were donated for free, and ground school text books were sold at cost.
The synergy of the program has been mutually rewarding. In turn, the cadets have more than shown their appreciation. They are involved in our L-5 restoration project, participated as our representatives in the 4th of July Downtown DFC parade, assisted during our annual AG-1 air show, and have participated in several of our hangar events. This is an example of community outreach at its best, the joint give and take, the mutual support, and benefit enjoyed by all..
None of this could have been possible without the core participation of AG-1. The AG-1 participating pilots are:
Col Bob Simon
Col Kent Casady
Col Darrel Cook
Col Jack Draper
Col Joe Graham
Col Pete Hunt
Col Jim McGarvie
Col Howard Merritt
V/R
Col Bob Simon
Wing Leader
CAF ? Air Group One
San Diego
Article Contributors:
Tom Valenzia
USAF Col Martin ?woj? Wojtysiak
Col Jim McGarvie
Col John Telles
), and get a better FEEL for flying. The idea I have is not that I can lean on my experience and work less than everyone else at pilot training, but that I can use my advantage, work JUST AS HARD as all the other students and hopefully still beat them. 
