Airmanship

    The Academy offers a variety of flying programs under the direction of the Commandant of Cadets. Airmanship programs are a vital part of each cadet's course of study, providing a series of flying experiences which integrate key aspects of Air Force aviation heritage and present day-to-day Air Force flying operations with other elements of the cadet's total education.

    Airmanship division programs are embodied in 21 courses which offer basic and advanced instruction in gliders, pilot indoctrination and parachuting. All operations are conducted simultaneously at the busiest Visual Flight Rules (VFR) airport in the country.

    USAFA airmanship division programs are consistently rated number one in terms of preparing graduates for the Air Force (both rated and nonrated). For officers moving on to nonrated career fields these programs may be their only direct contact with an operational flying environment. Providing all cadets an opportunity to experience, first hand, some of the characteristics of flight enhances the effectiveness of academic aeronautical related course work. In addition, the programs serve as an inexpensive tool in screening cadets for future flying, reducing costly attrition from jet pilot training. As already evidenced, the airmanship programs are a vital part of the curriculum and help distinguish the Academy from other institutes of higher learning.

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