January 31, 2019

Academy professor leads new DoD hypersonic research institute

(U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong) By Jennifer Spradlin, Jan. 31, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947, and the Air Force has never looked back. The Air Force partnered with NASA to develop and test the X-15, a hypersonic, rocket-powered aircraft in the late 1950s and most of the 1960s. A great deal of human capital and money was invested in making the leap from supersonic to hypersonic -- the potential to travel at five times the speed of sound or more than 3,000 mph. But a series of near misses and...

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January 30, 2019

AF Wings of Blue wins big at collegiate championships

(Courtesy photo) By Jennifer Spradlin, Jan. 28, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Earlier this month the competitive parachute team from the Air Force Wings of Blue won 37 medals at the National Collegiate Parachuting Championship in Eloy, Arizona. Seventy-three skydivers from 13 universities, including other service academies, participated in the multi-day event. The cadets said they look forward to the annual competition, which is the longest-running skydiving competition in the U.S., although their primary mission is training other cadets in the Airmanship program here. “The experience is truly something to be cherished,” said Cadet 1st Class Daniel Zivney. “The...

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January 30, 2019

Academy celebrates research efforts at annual ceremony

Brig. Gen. Andrew Armacost, the dean of the faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy, speaks to the crowd attending the annual research awards ceremony in Polaris Hall, Jan. 29, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley) By Ray Bowden, Jan. 30, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- This year’s research programs at the Air Force Academy were funded to the tune of $40 million and that cost is paying off in dividends, said the dean of faculty at the school’s research awards ceremony, Jan. 29. “The efforts of our cadets and faculty researchers complement everything we do in the classroom,”...

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January 28, 2019

Academy cadet wins mock trial competition

(Courtesy photo) By Ray Bowden U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- An Air Force Academy cadet took the ‘top attorney’ award at a legal mock trial competition in Boulder, Colorado, Jan. 19-20. Legal studies major Cadet 1st Class Max Hunter took first place at the Colorado University-Boulder Battle 2019. The American Mock Trial Association competition is one of many in U.S. to prepare undergraduates for AMTA tournaments February through April. “When I found out I’d won ‘top attorney,’ it was neat -- but I was more worried about how [the Academy’s] team placed,” Hunter said. Hunter successfully argued a case involving...

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January 28, 2019

‘From the neck up’: AF Academy advertises new enlisted academic instructor positions

(U.S. Air Force Academy photo) By Ray Bowden, Jan. 28, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- For the first time in Air Force Academy history, enlisted Airmen will be deliberately hired for faculty teaching positions. The Air Force Personnel Center began announcing Jan. 23 the need for senior NCOs to fill enlisted academic instructor positions at the school. While enlisted Airmen have been instructing cadets for decades at the Academy, they have not been directly assigned to the Academy as accredited academic faculty instructors. Chief Master Sgt. Rob Boyer, Academy command chief, said the move stems from the Academy’s investment...

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January 24, 2019

AF grad, fencer Tim Cullen among NCAA 2019 Silver Anniversary Award recipients

Tim Cullen, former fencing student-athlete at the U.S. Air Force Academy. (U.S. Air Force Academy photo) By Air Force Academy Athletics Communications, Jan. 24, 2019 Class of 1994 Air Force Academy graduate Col. Tim Cullen is one of six former student-athletes who will receive the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award this month, recognizing their collegiate and professional achievements. The Silver Anniversary Award annually recognizes distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college athletics careers. Representatives of NCAA member schools, conferences and past awardees select the recipients each year. Joining Cullen as 2019 Silver Anniversary honorees are Mia...

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January 23, 2019

Fire captain, parachute instructor finds his home at Air Force Academy

Tyler Moran serves as an enlisted parachute instructor and fire captain of the flight line fire station at the U.S. Air Force Academy. (U.S. Air Force Academy photo) Story and photo by Jennifer Spradlin, Jan. 23, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Tyler Moran is exactly where he wants to be: serving as an enlisted parachute instructor and fire captain at the Air Force Academy. He’d be the first to admit it wasn’t the easiest route, but that’s not really his style anyway. “Growing up, I was always little, always the underdog, but I [overcame that] through wrestling and ending...

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January 14, 2019

Academy to gain 40 more AMTs

(Photo by Master Sgt. Brian Ferguson) Story By Jennifer Spradlin, Jan. 14, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy’s cadet squadrons are scheduled to gain 40 noncommissioned officers by 2020. Each cadet squadron currently has one Academy Military Training NCO. The AMT serves in a leadership role while also performing key administrative and developmental duties. Senior leadership examined the 1-to-100 ratio between the AMTs and cadets and lobbied to return to pre-Sequestration levels in the squadrons to ensure the cadet's well-being and development. “The AMTs represent the backbone of the Air Force’s vast and diverse enlisted force,”...

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January 14, 2019

Accreditation Update: AF Academy ‘all in’ for April visit

Cadets walk to class at the U.S. Air Force Academy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Dave Ahlschwede) By Ray Bowden, Jan. 14, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Top officials at the Air Force Academy say they’re “all in” when it comes to the school’s first accreditation visit in 10 years by the Higher Learning Commission. “Our successful accreditation increases our ability to better serve the Defense Department and the U.S. now and into the future,” said Brig. Gen. Andrew Armacost, the Academy’s dean of faculty. “The leaders of character we develop are innovative, technology and research-driven men and women who will...

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January 7, 2019

AF Academy welcomes visitors to view lunar eclipse at planetarium Jan. 20

(Commons photo) U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, Jan. 9, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colorado --  The Air Force Academy welcomes visitors to view the total lunar eclipse at the base planetarium, Jan. 20 and chat with the school’s observatory director. The eclipse is predicted to last an hour and be visible from anywhere in the U.S. The evening’s activities are slated to begin at 7 p.m. at the newly-renovated planetarium with the showing of the film, “Eclipses and Phases of the Moon.” The 20-minute film details a lunar eclipse. Dr. Devin Della-Rose, the Academy’s observatory director, will discuss the...

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