Category Archives: The Book

Take the Afternoon Off and Go…

Posted on 12/08/2021 by Bobo

I was talking with (callsign) Spongebob the other day. He currently a T-6 IP, on duty as a Lt. Col. Reserve officer on leave from the airlines. So, he’s having the time of his life! A couple-3 weeks ago he … Continue reading →

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“Now, Get Out of the Car!”

Posted on 11/07/2021 by Bobo

There once was a Wing Commander at Randolph AFB, TX who was a “Piece of Work!” One Friday afternoon he was driving around the base in his staff car when he spied a couple of Captains walking toward the Officer’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legends in Their Own Minds, PIT, The Book | Leave a comment

“A Big Gray One, Sir…”

Posted on 23/04/2021 by Bobo

Some of my favorite rides in T-38 PIT (Pilot Instructor Training) as an instructor were the “syllabus” rides we flew with the students. These were rides wherein we (IPs) flew as UPT (undergraduate pilot training) students, and our PIT students … Continue reading →

Posted in Check Rides, PIT, The Book | 1 Comment

What is That Lake Out There…

Posted on 23/04/2020 by Bobo

I used to love early morning missions. It was often quiet on the flight line, cool, the sun rising, a bit of a chill in the air and so forth. Then, just after we we launched and came out of … Continue reading →

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Eating Up Runway

Posted on 14/02/2020 by Bobo

Jim was in his office one afternoon when a young IP came in and asked to speak to him.  Mike was relatively new and was somewhat ‘white’ in the face.  Of course, Jim told him to come in and have … Continue reading →

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“Judgement”

Posted on 07/01/2020 by Bobo

When we graded UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training) students after a ride there was always a block called “Judgement” on the grade sheet ‘Judgement’ was a graded item in all the different phases of training: contact, formation, nav and instruments. The … Continue reading →

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The ‘Mexican Standoff’ in New Hampshire

Posted on 31/12/2019 by Bobo

In 1977 Col. Wilson C. Cooney was assigned to Vance AFB, OK as our Director of Operations (DO). As he was settling in to the operations he wanted to visit our ACE* (Accelerated Copilot Enrichment) bases. I was a T-38 … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, The Book, UPT, USAF | Leave a comment

‘Hardturn’

Posted on 30/12/2019 by Bobo

I just received notification of the passing of Colonel Tom Ardern, USAF/Ret. I met Tom when he came to “O” Flight at Vance AFB, OK in Oct 1977. I was his Flight Commander for about 6 weeks before moving on … Continue reading →

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“RSUs”

Posted on 30/12/2019 by Bobo

This is an “RSU,” a Runway Supervisory Unit: They typically sit at the approach ends of runways at Air Force pilot training bases. During student training operations they are usually manned by a crew of 4: a Senior Controller, an … Continue reading →

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“Two, stop hitting Lead…”

Posted on 30/12/2019 by Bobo

One day “PF” was the IP on a student two-ship (T-38s) training flight. The pilot on his wing was a solo student pilot. At some point during the mission, PF checked in on the SOF (Supervisor of Flying) frequency, callsign … Continue reading →

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