December 12, 2018

Air Force Academy Research: Cadets have role in creating DoD’s 1st large stealth target drone

(U.S. Air Force photo by Jonathan Snyder) By Ray Bowden, Dec. 12, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy are working with aerospace instructors and industry partners to develop the Defense Department’s first large stealth target drone to test missile tracking systems. “As far as we know, this is the first large stealth target drone,” said Thomas McLaughlin, the Academy’s Aeronautic Research Center director. McLaughlin said the project is the DoD’s first aircraft development with significant contributions by cadets at a service academy. “It has had cadet involvement in its evolution over several years,”...

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December 10, 2018

306th Operations Support Squadron at Air Force Academy grabs top honor from Air Education and Training Command

Story and photo by Jennifer Spradlin, Dec. 10, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The nine-person airfield management crew responsible for the Air Force Academy airfield and the Academy Bullseye Auxiliary Airfield near Ellicott, Colorado, was recognized by Air Education and Training Command with the Ronald B. McCarthy Airfield Management Facility of the Year Award. This year, the 306th Operations Support Squadron airfield management oversaw a $2 million runway construction project without incident and on schedule. The crew worked closely with the 10th Civil Engineering Squadron to accomplish the preliminary work, saving more than $70,000. Some additional accomplishments include acquiring...

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December 10, 2018

Academy cadet and Prep School cadet candidate advance to Spark Tank Competition semi-finals

U.S. Air Force Academy Prep School Cadet Candidate Usama Bamieh (left) and Academy Cadet 1st Class Santiago Garcia, pose for a photo Dec. 7, 2018 at the Academy. They'll represent the school with their Spark Tank projects, currently being reviewed for possible selection to the competition's final round. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong) By Jennifer Spradlin, Dec. 10, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  “An airman basic has the ability to make permanent changes in the Air Force -- for the better,” said Air Force Academy Prep School Cadet Candidate Usama Bamieh, a first generation American and previously enlisted...

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November 30, 2018

Air Force Academy officer helps Alpha Warrior team take 1st place at competition

Capt. Jennifer Wendland (top row, left), a physical education instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy, poses for a photo with her Alpha Warrior teammates after they won the first Inter-Service Alpha Warrior Battle, Nov. 17, 2018, in Selma, Texas. Air Force took home the inter-service championship title with a team finish time of 2:17:33. (U.S. Air Force photo by Sarayuth Pinthong) U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, Nov. 29, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A physical education instructor at the Air Force Academy was on a team of six Airmen who beat-out Army and Navy to take the...

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November 21, 2018

‘It’s your Air Force Academy too’: Chief Boyer hosts enlisted call Nov. 16

Story by Ray Bowden, Nov. 21, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The top-enlisted Airman at the Air Force Academy announced his plans to retire late next year after nearly 32 years of military service. Chief Master Sgt. Rob Boyer, the Academy’s command chief, said this and more during his enlisted call, Nov. 16 in Fairchild Hall. “You can swap out all the senior leaders here, but the job will still get done because of you,” he said to the audience of enlisted Airmen. “You represent the Academy’s cradle of leadership. There is nothing that gets done here without...

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November 20, 2018

Cadet wins 1st place at Fort Collins equestrian show

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 3rd Class Megan Craven won first place at the Sunrise Farms Equine Show in Fort Collins, Oct. 27. This was her first victory after just more than a year of riding horses. (U.S. Air Force Academy photo) Story by Jennifer Spradlin U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- An Air Force Academy cadet won first place at the Sunrise Farms Equine Show in Fort Collins, Oct. 27, notching her first victory after little more than a year of riding. “I was so excited. It was really nice to see all the hard work at the barn...

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November 19, 2018

Air Force Academy cadets teach self-defense to human trafficking victims

Cadet 3rd Class Hannah Schroeder (left) spars with an Aikido instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Nov. 15, 2018. She and Cadet 3rd Class Lois Taylor and their coach, Neland North, volunteered to lead a two-day self-defense session at the Pathfinder Center in South Dakota, an organization that provides safe haven and empowerment to victims of human trafficking. (U.S. Air Force photo/Darcie Ibidapo) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Nov. 19, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Two Air Force Academy cadets and their Aikido club coach traveled to central South Dakota to help victims of human trafficking learn self-defense techniques,...

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November 16, 2018

More cadets given opportunity to fly

More than 530 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets from the 2019 graduating class have been matched to attend pilot training pending final qualifications and commissioning. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Charlie Rivezzo) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Nov. 16, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – More than 530 Air Force Academy cadets from the 2019 graduating class have been matched to attend pilot training pending final qualifications and commissioning. This is a 26 percent increase over the 2018 class. “Airmanship is a large part of the Academy experience, and a core part of our identity as a service, and we...

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November 16, 2018

Air Force Academy cadets help family out of crashed car

  U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Brig. Gen. Kristin Goodwin (left), commandant of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, chats with a group of cadets on the Terrazzo, Nov. 13, 2018. The five cadets seen here helped a family out of an overturned vehicle after it lost traction and slid off the highway near Breckenridge, Nov. 11, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Nov. 16, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -– Returning from a weekend ski trip in Breckenridge, Colorado, five Air Force Academy cadets witnessed the vehicle in front of them fishtail,...

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November 15, 2018

Update: Falcon SAT 6 satellite lifts off on Space X rocket, Dec. 3

Faculty members and cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy wait to receive "first contact" from the cadet-designed FalconSAT-6 satellite that successfully launched into space just before noon, Dec. 3, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong) Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Dec. 3, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A satellite designed and built by Air Force Academy cadets successfully launched into space just after 11:30 a.m. (MT), Dec. 3. The FalconSAT-6 satellite was originally slated for a Nov. 19 lift-off but modifications and a change of launch vehicles delayed the launch. Lt. Col. Luke Sauter, head of the Academy’s Astronautics...

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