Life of the Columbus Air Base Student
The routine of a student pilot learning to fly at Columbus Air Force Base is as follows:
Wake, work, eat. Study, sleep, repeat.
I liked to squeeze in a daily workout, too, which meant something had to give. Since I had to be at work for 12 hours, was required to sleep for 8 hours, and needed to eat, I cut my study time to hit the gym. As detailed in IF YOU AIN'T A PILOT..., my daily flying grades and academic test scores reflected as much. But I did stay in good shape.
Student pilots who trained at Columbus Air Force Base only expected to be there for a year. After flight school, it was Off we go as newly trained pilots to fly, fight, and win to protect our country and support the causes of freedom and democracy around the world. Or so we thought.
Despite our demanding workload, we tried to have fun wherever and whenever we could.
In the most understated way, the images in this section illustrate the joy in the simplest of moments; yet, they also convey an environment where every move, every maneuver, every instance of relaxation or recreation was subject to scrutiny and evaluation.
Whether rounding third base in a pink hat or sitting on a toilet in a pink scarf, student pilots were being watched and evaluated.
You couldn't escape it. Why not have fun?
Before we were allowed to strap on a jet, we needed to demonstrate a proper parachute landing fall (PLF) from a height of 400 feet. We attained this altitude by being tied to the end of a 400 foot rope at the back of a pick-up truck while wearing a parachute. Human kite flying. When my canopy filled with air, and I felt myself lift off, I bent one leg, tucked one arm, stretched like Superman, and shouted, "Up, up, and away!"
For our weekly Physical Training sessions, we had a full set of exercises that we were required to complete. Shown here, we added a bent arm and a hooked wrist to our mandatory quad stretch to represent our class mascot, the pink flamingo. On this particular day, Doley and Kenny (left) just flexed for the camera while the rest of us exercised.
Columbus Air Force Base had a 9-hole golf course that we occasionally played on the weekends.
Whether piloting a T-38 in the skies above the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway or piloting his Boston Whaler on the Tenn-Tom, itself, Golden Hands was as smooth as they come. While in Columbus, he taught me to waterski and to surf on the kneeboard. Golden Hands was named one of the Distinguished Graduates of UPT Class 88-07.
Golden Hands taught me how to waterski and how to surf on the kneeboard. He tried to teach Kenny and me how to barefoot, but all we did was wipeout.
Having purchased a hundred dollars of pink paint, Kenny, Hamlet, and I wait outside of Kurt and Malia's apartment, where we'd rendezvous with Doley, and drive to the T-38 VFR entry point.
Kenny, Golden Hands, and Tripp embark on a four-wheeling adventure.
