As previously noted, Air Force Captain George Bryan Houghton was killed in an F-16 crash in June. A report from the Air Force Times says that the Air Force investigation determined Houghton’s inexperience in a challenging maneuver at night contributed to the crash.
Houghton was reportedly an experienced pilot, but Read more
The Navy has added a year of active duty service to the previous 4-year requirement for those who use NROTC scholarships. This makes the service commitment from ROTC equal to that of those who attend the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. The new commitment applies to those who begin their freshman year under the NROTC scholarship in the fall of 2010.
Interestingly, those who attend college on an NROTC scholarship but are commissioned in the Marines will still have a 4-year commitment, as will Read more
While still a baby in comparison with its Navy and Army brethren, the US Air Force is now celebrating 62 years as an independent branch of the American armed forces.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, a Navy Admiral, delivered birthday greetings that recalled how Read more
The delegates to the constitutional convention signed what would become the American Constitution on this date in 1787.
It would be nearly a year before the Constitution was finally ratified, a year and a half before the US government officially convened under the Constitution, and more than four years before the Constitution would be amended with the Bill of Rights. Still, the 222nd anniversary of the signing at the convention marks the birth of the United States’ governing document.
The Constitution is more than a topic in High School American Government class to those in the US military. Read more
In the article on fighter pilot traditions, one mentioned but unexplained tradition was that of burning a piano. An F-15E pilot contributed this explanation to the history of the tradition:
The burning of the piano tradition dates back to the Battle of Britain. Read more
Much has been made of the traditional aspects of US military formations and ceremonies, including whether or not prayer and the Chaplaincy–which has been part of military protocol since George Washington’s time–is appropriate.
While not directly addressing the controversy of religion, Maj Thomas Smicklas has written a fascinating and heartfelt commentary on the meaning of military ceremonies and their time-honored traditions:
The Air Force has many different types of ceremonies that are unique customs of our military profession. Read more
The Colorado Springs Gazette recently got taken by a USAFA euphemism. In an article about the new Air Force Academy program that helps cadets learn about UAVs, the paper said
The F-35 fighter now in production may be the last fighter the Air Force buys that carries a pilot. That doesn’t mean the remote planes are super stars at the Air Force Academy, where the cadet wing’s favorite acronym is IHTFP for “I’m here to fly planes.”
The cadet wing’s favorite acronym may be IHTFP (though it would be in close running with BOHICA), but that’s not what it stands for. Read more
Various news outlets (including CNN and Fox) reported that Israeli Defense Force Lt. Assaf Ramon died in an F-16 crash on Sunday. (The Lieutenant was posthumously promoted to Captain.) The Israel National News reports speculation that sounds much like a G-LOC. The aircraft was an F-16A, an older version of the American-made fighter; the crash appears to have occurred during his F-16 training, just a few months after he received his wings from basic pilot training.
Ramon was reported as being either 20 or 21 years old, both of which are young by American standards. Based on entering college Read more