December 6, 2019

Academy UAS Center prepares cadets for future fight

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Dec. 6, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force Academy brought a cutting-edge, multi-drone light show to its campus last month to celebrate its storied rivalry with West Point. As hundreds of drones moved in synchronization to delight the audience with messages like ‘Beat Army,’ the six-minute display showed how far unmanned aerial systems have come since Civil War-era balloons and what's still possible. “We are really in the Wright Brothers era of unmanned aerial systems,” said Col. Eduardo Defendini, director of the Air Force Academy UAS Center. “New and exciting aircraft shapes,...

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December 6, 2019

Academy deer hunt set for Dec 7-8, Dec 14-15

(Photo / Trevor Cokely)  U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs staff report U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force Academy's Natural Resources Office will host a controlled deer hunt Dec. 7-8 and Dec. 14-15. Frequently used roads and trails in the hunting areas will be posted with bright orange "Area Closed: Authorized Personnel Only" signs. The Falcon Trail, archery range, Pine Valley horse pastures, and parcourse will also be posted and closed during the hunting dates. Academy officials urge personnel and visitors to avoid roads and trails leading to the hunting areas. The hunt is designed to control the deer...

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December 4, 2019

AF Academy’s ‘host wing’ commander concentrates on community, family

Col. Brian Hartless, commander of the 10th Air Base Wing, the U.S. Air Force Academy's host wing. (Photo/Joshua Armstrong) By Ray Bowden, Dec. 4, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  A top commander at the Air Force Academy said the base couldn’t exist without the 10th Air Base Wing. “The 10th ABW does its job as the Academy’s host wing so our mission partners can do theirs,” said Col. Brian Hartless, who has commanded the wing – “Team Ten,” as he and his staff call it – since June. That might be a strong opinion, but it’s shared by the...

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November 21, 2019

Law department professor awarded ‘flagship’ scholarship grant to research, teach in Europe

[caption id="attachment_25825" align="alignnone" width="300"] Douglas McKechnie, a full professor in the Academy’s law department[/caption] By Ray Bowden, Nov. 21, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A legal expert at the Air Force Academy is getting ready to go on sabbatical in Europe next year, courtesy of a Fulbright scholar grant. Douglas McKechnie, a full professor in the Academy’s law department, will spend his spring months at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, teaching in the university’s Constitutional Law department. Col. Kristine Keunzli, head of the Academy’s law department, said McKechnie’s selection for the grant was “spot on.” “It properly portrays...

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November 19, 2019

AF Academy welcomes guests with extended visiting hours

U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, Nov. 19, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Visitors to the Air Force Academy without Defense Department credentials can now enter the base every day between 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m. through the North and South gates. Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria said the increase in visitor hours will give more guests and Academy supporters the chance to see the Air Force’s only academy. “We are proud to be part of a growing Colorado Springs and Front Range community – an exceptional place to live, work, learn and serve,” he said. “The supportive relationships and...

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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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November 14, 2019

Academy unveils artwork commemorating fall of Berlin Wall

Story by Janine Dreger, all photos by Trevor Cokley, Nov. 14, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Thirty years ago, on Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall – the ultimate sign of the Cold War and its Iron Curtain – fell. One day before this 30-year anniversary, a sculpture memorializing the historic event was unveiled at the Air Force Academy’s McDermott Library. Created by Colorado artist Veryl Goodnight, the sculpture features wild horses breaking west through the ruins of the Berlin Wall. “The sculpture is not about horses – it’s about the freedom of the human spirit and overcoming...

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November 14, 2019

AF Academy’s Flying Team gets top prize at national competition

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Pat Timmons was the No. 1 overall top-scoring contestant and No. 2 top pilot at the Region 1 National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Contest. (Courtesy photo) Story by Ray Bowden, Nov. 14, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force Academy’s Flying Team took first place at a regional flying competition at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, Colorado, Oct. 21-26. It’s the cadet Flying Team’s 33rd consecutive win at the Region 1 National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Contest. The cadets topped five other...

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November 13, 2019

Academy triathlete preps for world competition next summer

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Nov. 13, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Gabriel Fels is training for the biggest race of his life. After a meteoric rise, the Air Force Academy junior will have to balance his academic and military obligations while recovering from a broken toe as he preps for the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada, next summer. Fels injured his toe during a recent triathlon in Avon, Colorado, finishing the race before the cold temperatures and adrenaline wore off. “It’s a tough sport. No getting around that,” he said. The six-week recovery period is...

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November 13, 2019

Taking care of Airmen: How the AF Academy’s Peak Performance Center helped a cadet 

Story by Ray Bowden, photo by Master Sgt.  Julius Delos Reyes, Nov. 13, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Alberto Moita thought he was going crazy. It was Oct. 15, 2018, Monday morning, and while his classmates chatted about their weekend, Moita was in the grip of a nervous breakdown. “I was very nervous and shaky,” he said. “My anxiety was going up and I felt like my thoughts were going 100 mph.” Less than 48 hours earlier, a motorcycle rider drove through a red traffic signal at the Bijou Street and I-25 intersection and collided with the car...

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