Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Cadet 2nd Class Khornwitpong Soonthonnitikul, an international student from Thailand at the U.S. Air Force Academy, flies upside down in a TG-16A glider during aerobatics training over Coolidge, Arizona. (Courtesy photo)Cadet 2nd Class Khornwitpong Soonthonnitikul, an international student from Thailand at the U.S. Air Force Academy, flies upside down in a TG-16A glider during aerobatics training over Coolidge, Arizona. (Courtesy photo)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Cadet instructor pilots teach Academy sophomores to soar in ArizonaPublished March 30, 2016
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. Jasmine Reif
                    
                    
                    U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
            **U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --**Blizzard-like conditions may have struck the U.S. Air Force Academy earlier this month, but in Arizona the weather was perfect for cadet instructor pilots who taught Academy sophomores the art of soaring.  During their two-week trip to Coolidge, Arizona, 15 cadets and four officers from the 94th Flying Training Squadron’s Academy Soaring Program taught the cadets how to perform aerobatics. “We went to Arizona to get six to seven straight days of flying,” said Cadet 1st Class Joseph Gould, a soaring instructor pilot. “The sophomores were nervous at first because they had never been inverted (in a glider), but they really got into it. They have a lot to learn, but by the end of the week they were very good at aerobatics.”The 94th FTS flies more than 17,000 sorties a year, making it the most active soaring operation in the U.S. Each year, 80 cadets attend a semester-long instructor pilot upgrade course.“The soaring program broadened my horizons,” said Cadet 3rd Class Merrick Isley. “I didn’t get to experience airmanship my freshman year and this program exposed me to the best the Academy has. This is a positive environment and helps everyone grow. This training in Arizona has been great because we don’t have school and I get to focus on flying.”Capt. Brian Ross, the 94th FTS group training officer, is a 2008 Academy grad. He returned to his alma mater in 2014 to learn to pilot gliders.“This program introduces cadets to aviation, which is what many of them will do in their Air Force careers,” he said. “It provides leadership opportunities because cadets are in charge of the trip. Making reservations and working with airfields gives them experience they will use in the operational Air Force when they go on a temporary duty assignment.”Four TG-16A gliders were trailered from the Academy to Arizona for the event.“It’s been a great experience and gives us a whole new perspective,” Gould said. “It’s a great way to get away from homework and be with people who want to fly. It’s a chance to challenge yourself and a lot of fun.”Academy 



soaring 



flying 



cadet 



U.S. Air Force Academy Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil