July 15, 2019

AF Academy to celebrate 50th Anniversary of Lunar Landing

U.S. Air Force Academy -- (U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley) By Judith Cara, July 15, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.-- Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins blasted away from Earth on a Saturn V rocket on July 16, 1969. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin set foot on the moon, the first humans to do so. The three returned to Earth on July 24. Celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing are planned around the world. Whether you remember that day or have experienced it only through videos and stories, visit the Air Force...

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July 12, 2019

Field Day: Basic cadets at AF Academy compete in annual athletic team-building challenge

(Photo by Darcie Ibidapo) By Ray Bowden, July 12, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- “You  OK? You’re good, right?” a basic cadet asked a classmate as he breathed hard, clutching a chain-link fence for support. Moments earlier, the pair sprinted over the finish line of a long distance run, one of several challenges July 12 during Field Day. The annual event at the Air Force Academy marks the halfway point of Basic Cadet Training. “Competing together builds cohesion,” said Cadet 2nd Class Krisanna Reynolds. “The basic cadets get to talk to each other and get to know one another,...

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July 10, 2019

AF Academy cadets teach their vice superintendent how to freefall

Third from right: Col. Houston Cantwell, vice superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, poses for a photograph at the U.S. Air Force Academy with a cadet instructor (fifth from right) and his Airmanship 490 cadet classmates, July 2019. (All photos courtesy of the 98th Flying Training Squadron) Commentary by Col. Houston Cantwell, U.S. Air Force Academy vice superintendent, July 10, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  "Stand in the door!” Never before had four words caused such extreme personal anxiety. Circling above the Air Force Academy in the back of our trusty Twin Otter aircraft at 4,500 feet,...

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July 8, 2019

AF Academy, Air Education and Training Command host technology-infused basic aviation skills training

Story and photos by Jennifer Spradlin, July 8, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Colorado Springs high school students and recent Air Force Academy graduates are flying together -- in the classroom -- thanks to training devices that simulate the T-6 Texan II training aircraft. The Academy is hosting high school summer training sessions in partnership with Air Education and Training Command to explore the benefits of exposing students to basic aviation skills using virtual reality technology. “Advances in technology have led us to really consider how we train potential pilots -- is there a better way? We think there...

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July 3, 2019

‘An exchange of ideas’: 306th FTG instructors visit French air force academy

Capt. Gabriel Paterson, flight commander for the U.S. Air Force Academy Flying Team, and Lt. Col. Abby Frander (right), commander of the 98 Flying Training Squadron at the Academy,  stand near a Cirrus SR22 aircraft with a pilot from the Ecole de l'Air -- the French air force academy.  Cadre from the 306th Flying Training Group traveled to France in June to visit their French counterparts and share information about airfield operations and the Academy's Airmanship Programs (Courtesy photo). By Jennifer Spradlin, June 3, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Instructors from the 306th Flying Training Group traveled to France...

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July 3, 2019

Top 9 ways for parents to survive Basic Cadet Training

(U.S. Air Force photo) Staff reports, July 3, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Missing your cadet now that they've started Basic Cadet Training at the Air Force Academy? Here's a few tips to fill up that "empty nest" until Parents Weekend starts Aug. 30. 1.  Take a Trip With all the money you're saving on groceries, why not just get away for a while?   2.  Make new friends  (U.S. Air Force Academy photo) There are nearly 100 Parents’ Clubs across the country. Join one in your state.   3.  Rearrange your cadet’s room at home No doubt...

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August 28, 2019

’99 Academy grad credits Academy airfield with changing his life

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Aug. 28, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Twenty years into his career as an Air Force aviator, Lt. Col. Richard Pantusa firmly believes two things: aviation is a team activity, and no team is successful without trust. He credits his experience at the Air Force Academy Airfield for introducing him to these concepts and changing the direction of his career and ultimately, his life. “I came to the Air Force Academy expecting to have a career in research and development [as an engineer], but my exposure to the aviation programs at the Academy after...

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September 6, 2019

2 road closures, 2 traffic detours scheduled for Academy Drive

Staff Reports, Sept. 6, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Academy Drive between Cadet Drive and Interior Drive will close 6 p.m., Sept. 6-Sept. 20 for work to repair the asphalt. Academy Drive will be closed to traffic during this time. Detour signs will be posted at the intersections of Interior and Academy drives, and Cadet and Academy drives. Visitors to the Academy may access the Visitor Center heading north on Academy Drive, Sept. 6-8, and heading south on Academy Drive, Sept. 9-20. Other Roadwork North Stadium Boulevard between Parade Loop to North Gate Boulevard is scheduled to remain closed...

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November 15, 2019

Air Force Football earns AFCA Academic Achievement Award

Athletic Department Communications, Nov. 15, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy, University of Alabama, Clemson University, University of Louisville, Rice University and the University of Utah will share the American Football Coaches Association's 2019 Academic Achievement Award, which is presented by the Touchdown Club of Memphis. All six schools recorded a perfect 1,000 for their single-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) for 2017-18. This is first honor for Air Force and Louisville, the second honor for Alabama, Clemson and Utah and the third honor for Rice. The award will be presented to the head coach at...

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October 16, 2019

New telescope at Academy to be largest available for public viewing in Colorado

(Courtesy photo/Devin Della-Rose) By Janine Dreger, Oct. 16, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Scientists at the Air Force Academy said a $1.25 million project to install a telescope in the school’s observatory should be complete by springtime. Contractors from the 10th Civil Engineer Squadron, and technicians from the Austrian telescope manufacturer completed the first stage of the project this month when they installed the housing for the 5,000-pound Ritchey-Chretien reflecting telescope. Associate physics professor and Observatory Director Devin Della-Rose said when complete, the telescope system will support cadet and faculty research projects and connect to the Falcon Telescope Network...

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