COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- A special group of veteran pilots gathered outside the 50th Flying Training Squadron in the thick familiar Mississippi air. The shared stories from the cockpit produced laughter and excitement as they began their tour of current day Undergraduate Pilot Training.
The 50th Flying Training Squadron “Strikin Snakes”, hosted over 30 former T-38 Talon instructor pilots during a 50-year CAFB pilot reunion on, November 13, 2024.
“I haven’t been here in 45 years; I left here in 81’ and it’s a serious time-warp,” said retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Minden. “Some things like this building are the same but different, the airplanes are the same, but different.”
The retired pilots returned to their former flying training squadron, walked the hallways they haven’t been to in decades and piled into the state-of-the-art virtual flight simulator bays to receive hands on experience with flight training currently used as part of the Undergraduate Pilot Training program.
“Even though things have changed and evolved over time, things are pretty much the same in terms of pilot culture,” said Captain Jacob Lefler, 50FTS instructor pilot. “Hearing the stories, hearing things they used to go out and do, there was a gentleman in tears, that part is pretty awesome to see.”
In a 2023 story by CAFB, more than 60 percent of the Combat Air Force fleet will be comprised of 5th generation aircraft by 2031, requiring a modern and capable training platform with capabilities beyond those currently available in the T-38. CAFB will begin transitioning from the T-38 to the Air Force’s newest aircraft trainer, the T-7A Red Hawk.
The T-7A will provide student pilots with advanced training capabilities, including high-G environment, info/sensor management, high Angle of Attack flight characteristics, night operations, and transferrable air-to-air and air-to-ground skills.