NORTH GATE--EXIT 156B OFF INTERSTATE 25 WELCOME TO YOUR UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY. AS YOU DRIVE AROUND THE GROUNDS, NOTICE SOME OF THE DIFFERENT LANDMARKS. THE FOLLOWING IS SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACADEMY ITSELF.
TO THE RIGHT AND OVER THE RIDGE IS THE SUMMER ENCAMPMENT FOR BASIC CADET TRAINING. THE CAMP, CALLED JACKS VALLEY IS WHERE NEW CADETS SPEND PART OF THEIR FIRST SUMMER AT THE ACADEMY. PRIOR TO THEIR TIME AT JACKS VALLEY, THE BASICS ARE IN THE CADET AREA LEARNING THE CUSTOMS, COURTESIES AND HERITAGE OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE. WHEN THEY MOVE TO JACKS VALLEY, THEY CONCENTRATE ON PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND EXERCISES LIKE A CONFIDENCE COURSE DESIGNED TO BUILD TEAMWORK AND SPIRIT. THE BASIC CADETS ARE TAUGHT BY UPPER-CLASS CADETS. THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY IS RUN AS AN AIR FORCE ORGANIZATION. CADETS BEGIN AS FOLLOWERS, STUDYING LEADERSHIP THEIR FIRST TWO YEARS. IN THEIR FINAL TWO YEARS AT THE ACADEMY, CADETS APPLY THAT KNOWLEDGE IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. THE STUDENT BODY IS REFERRED TO AS THE CADET WING. THE WING IS ACTUALLY RUN BY SENIORS, WITH OFFICER SUPERVISION.
TO YOUR LEFT, YOU'LL SEE A BOEING B-52 STRATOFORTRESS. THIS BOMBER, NICKNAMED DIAMOND LIL, SAW OVER 200 COMBAT MISSIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. THE PLANE IS MOST FAMOUS FOR A MISSION DURING LINEBACKER II WHEN ITS TAIL GUNNER, AIRMAN FIRST CLASS ALBERT MOORE, SHOT DOWN A MiG-21. THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY'S AUTHORIZED STRENGTH OF 4,000 CADETS IS THE SAME AS THE NAVAL ACADEMY AT ANNAPOLIS AND THE US MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT. PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER SIGNED THIS ACADEMY INTO BEING IN APRIL OF 1954. THE FIRST CLASS BEGAN TRAINING AT LOWRY AIR FORCE BASE IN DENVER IN 1955 WITH 306 CADETS. THEY MOVED INTO THIS PERMANENT SITE IN COLORADO SPRINGS IN AUGUST OF 1958. NINE MONTHS LATER, 207 CADETS GRADUATED, THE FIRST OF 41 GRADUATING CLASSES. IN ADDITION TO BEING THE YOUNGEST OF THE SERVICE ACADEMIES, THIS IS ALSO THE LARGEST IN LAND AREA. THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY SITS ON APPROXIMATELY 18,500 ACRES. THE COMMISSION APPOINTED TO SELECT THE SITE FOR THIS ACADEMY CONSIDERED 580 PROPOSED SITES. THEY NARROWED THEIR CHOICE DOWN TO THREE LOCATIONS: ALTON, ILLINOIS; LAKE GENEVA, WISCONSIN; AND COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO. THE COMMISSION EXPLAINED THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR AN AREA NOT LESS THAN 15,000 ACRES SO THERE WOULD BE AMPLE SPACE FOR EXPANSION. THEY ALSO STRESSED THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A SITE WITHIN 50 MILES OF CITIES THAT DID NOT HAVE SEVERE TEMPERATURE EXTREMES AND WAS ACCESSIBLE TO RAIL, AIR AND HIGHWAY SYSTEMS.
THE OVERLOOKS TO YOUR LEFT GIVE A GOOD VIEW OF THE ACADEMY'S ATHLETIC FACILITIES. THE ATHLETIC FIELDS TO THE LEFT COVER 143 ACRES. THEY INCLUDE 18 FOOTBALL FIELDS, 13 SOCCER FIELDS, TWO BASEBALL DIAMONDS, THREE PUTTING GREENS AND A 400-METER TRACK. THE ACADEMY ALSO HAS TWO 18-HOLE GOLF COURSES ON THE GROUNDS.
THE FIELD HOUSE IS THE BUILDING TO THE LEFT. IT CONTAINS AN INDOOR ICE ARENA, BASKETBALL ARENA AND A GENERAL PURPOSE ROOM WITH A FOOTBALL FIELD SURROUNDED BY A 1/6th MILE TRACK. THE GYM HAS AN OLYMPIC SIZE SWIMMING POOL, A DIVING POOL AND A SEPARATE 40-YARD TRAINING POOL. THERE ARE THREE FULL-SIZED GYMNASIUMS, AREAS FOR RACQUET SPORTS, AS WELL AS MULTI-PURPOSE AREAS FOR A VARIETY OF SPORTS AND CONDITIONING.
THE NATURAL ROCK FORMATION TO YOUR RIGHT IS CATHEDRAL ROCK. IT HAS ALSO PLAYED A PART IN THE TRADITIONS OF THE ACADEMY. IN THE PAST, ONE OF THE EVENTS THAT SIGNIFIED THE END OF FRESHMAN YEAR WAS THE MARCH TO CATHEDRAL ROCK. FRESHMEN WOULD BRING THE LARGEST BOULDER THEY COULD CARRY BACK TO THE ACADEMY. IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT IF THIS TRADITION CONTINUED, CATHEDRAL ROCK WOULD EVENTUALLY BE MOVED TO THE ACADEMY GROUNDS. SO NOW, MANY SQUADRONS KEEP PERMANENT ROCKS AT THE ACADEMY, HIDE THEM AND THEN TASK THE FRESHMEN TO FIND THEM. THERE ARE MORE THAN 4,000 CADETS HERE AT THE ACADEMY. THERE ARE 36 SQUADRONS IN THE CADET WING. EACH CO-EDUCATIONAL SQUADRON IS ASSIGNED APPROXIMATELY 110 CADETS. WOMEN FIRST ENTERED THE ACADEMY IN 1976 AND GRADUATED IN 1980. THEY REPRESENT APPROXIMATELY 17% OF THE CADET WING. THERE ARE AN EQUAL NUMBER OF FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS AND SENIORS IN EACH SQUADRON. THE FRESHMEN ARE REFERRED TO AS DOOLIES COMING FROM THE GREEK WORD, DOULOS, MEANING 'LIKE A SLAVE '.
COMING UP ON THE LEFT YOU CAN SEE THE PLANETARIUM, ARNOLD HALL, HARMON HALL AND THE BEAUTIFUL CADET CHAPEL. ARNOLD HALL IS THE SOCIAL CENTER FOR THE CADETS AND THEIR GUESTS. THE HALL INCLUDES A FORMAL BALLROOM, BANQUET ROOMS, THEATER, CAFETERIA AND LOUNGES. IT ALSO HAS RESTROOMS, HISTORICAL EXHIBITS, A GIFT SHOP AND IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DAILY.
IN HONOR COURT, BETWEEN ARNOLD HALL AND THE CADET CHAPEL, ARE WORLD WAR II AIR CRAFT SCULPTURES AND STATUES. THE BUILDING ON THIS SIDE OF HONOR COURT IS THE ACADEMY'S ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, HARMON HALL.
THE CADET CHAPEL TOOK FIVE YEARS TO DESIGN AND FOUR YEARS TO BUILD AND WAS COMPLETED IN 1963. THE ARCHITECT WAS WALTER A. NETSCH, JR. FROM THE FIRM SKIDMORE, OWINGS, AND MERROLL ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS OF CHICAGO. THE 17 SPIRES, SOARING 150 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, HAVE NO SPECIFIC SIGNIFICANCE. THE BUILDING CONTAINS SEPARATE CHAPELS, PROVIDING AREAS OF WORSHIP FOR MEMBERS OF ALL FAITHS. THE BARRY GOLDWATER VISITOR CENTER WAS BUILT WITH PRIVATE FUNDS RAISED BY AN ORGANIZATION CALLED THE ACADEMY FOUNDATION. IT OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN JUNE OF 1986. MEMBERS OF THE FOUNDATION NAMED THE CENTER AFTER THE LATE SENATOR GOLDWATER. SENATOR GOLDWATER WAS A RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL IN THE AIR FORCE RESERVE, SERVED ON THE ACADEMY BOARD OF VISITORS, AND HAD LONG BEEN A FRIEND OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AND THE ACADEMY. THE CENTER HAS A NUMBER OF DISPLAYS AND EXHIBITS EXPLAINING THE ACADEMY'S HISTORY, ITS MISSION AND ITS MAJOR PROGRAMS. ADMISSIONS INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE. A 14-MINUTE MOVIE ABOUT THE ACADEMY IS PRESENTED IN THE THEATER EVERY HALF-HOUR. THERE IS A SNACK BAR AND A GIFT SHOP HERE AS WELL. THROUGH THE SOUTH GATE WILL GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO SEE A FEW MORE OF THE SITES HERE ON THE ACADEMY.
ON YOUR LEFT IS "DOOLITTLE HALL," HEADQUARTERS FOR THE ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES (THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FOR ACADEMY GRADUATES).THE ACADEMY CLUB IS ON YOUR LEFT, WITH THE VISITING OFFICERS QUARTERS NEXT TO THE TENNIS COURTS. THE HOUSING YOU'RE SEEING ON THE RIGHT IS MILITARY FAMILY HOUSING. THERE ARE 1,229 FAMILY HOUSING UNITS ON THE ACADEMY. IN ADDITION TO THE CADETS, THE ACADEMY HAS APPROXIMATELY 2,200 MILITARY PERSONNEL AND 2,300 CIVILIANS ASSIGNED HERE TO SUPPORT THE ACADEMY PROGRAM.
FALCON STADIUM, TO YOUR RIGHT, IS THE HOME OF THE AIR FORCE FALCON FOOTBALL TEAM. IT HAS A SEATING CAPACITY OF 53,000 PEOPLE AND IS ALSO THE SITE OF THE ANNUAL GRADUATION.
THE PLANE TO THE LEFT IS A T-38 AIRCRAFT, PAINTED IN THE FAMOUS DESIGN OF THE US AIR FORCE AERIAL DEMONSTRATION TEAM, THE THUNDERBIRDS. THIS OVERLOOK PROVIDES A GOOD SPOT FOR VIEWING THE DIFFERENT FLYING AND JUMP PROGRAMS HERE AT THE ACADEMY.
YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE AIRFIELD ON YOUR LEFT. THIS AREA IS HOME TO THREE SEPARATE SQUADRONS. THE 557TH FLYING TRAINING SQUADRON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SCREENING ALL ELIGIBLE CADETS TO DETERMINE WHICH CADETS POSSESS THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABILITIES TO COMPLETE UNDERGRADUATE PILOT TRAINING. TO PROVIDE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, MOTIVATION AND CONFIDENCE TO THOSE CADETS GOING ON TO PILOT TRAINING, AN INTRODUCTORY FLIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM MUST BE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED PRIOR TO ENTERING UNDERGRADUATE PILOT TRAINING. SELECTED CADETS IN THEIR FINAL YEAR AT THE ACADEMY OBTAIN UP TO 40 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME THROUGH AN APPROVED AERO CLUB PROGRAM BEFORE GRADUATION. THE 94th FLYING TRAINING SQUADRON CONDUCTS SOARING COURSES FOR ACADEMY CADETS. IN FACT, THE SOARING PROGRAM IS THE LARGEST GLIDER TRAINING OPERATION IN THE WORLD. ALL OF THE 94th's FLYING PROGRAMS STRESS LEADERSHIP AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. CADETS IN THE SOARING PROGRAM ARE EXP0SED TO AIR FORCE FLYING OPERATIONS AND FUNDAMENTALS OF AIRMANSHIP. UPPER-CLASS CADETS DO 95% OF THE INSTRUCTION IN THE GLIDERS. EVERY CADET HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SOLO IN A SAILPLANE. THE TOW PLANES ARE FLOWN BY CIVILIAN PILOTS ON CONTRACT TO THE ACADEMY, MANY WITH PRIOR MILITARY EXPERIENCE.
THE 98th FLYING TRAINING SQUADRON CONDUCTS THE PARACHUTING PROGRAM. IN THE FREE-FALL PARACHUTING PROGRAM, CADETS EARN THEIR PARACHUTIST BADGE BY TAKING 24-HOURS OF GROUND INSTRUCTION FOLLOWED BY 5 FREE-FALL JUMPS. PARACHUTING IS A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM, YET ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF THE CADET WING PARTICIPATE. THE ACADEMY'S PARACHUTE TEAM, THE WINGS OF BLUE, PERFORM AT AIR SHOWS, OPEN HOUSES AND SPORTING EVENTS NATIONWIDE.
TO THE RIGHT AND OVER THE RIDGE IS THE SUMMER ENCAMPMENT FOR BASIC CADET TRAINING. THE CAMP, CALLED JACKS VALLEY IS WHERE NEW CADETS SPEND PART OF THEIR FIRST SUMMER AT THE ACADEMY. PRIOR TO THEIR TIME AT JACKS VALLEY, THE BASICS ARE IN THE CADET AREA LEARNING THE CUSTOMS, COURTESIES AND HERITAGE OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE. WHEN THEY MOVE TO JACKS VALLEY, THEY CONCENTRATE ON PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND EXERCISES LIKE A CONFIDENCE COURSE DESIGNED TO BUILD TEAMWORK AND SPIRIT. THE BASIC CADETS ARE TAUGHT BY UPPER-CLASS CADETS. THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY IS RUN AS AN AIR FORCE ORGANIZATION. CADETS BEGIN AS FOLLOWERS, STUDYING LEADERSHIP THEIR FIRST TWO YEARS. IN THEIR FINAL TWO YEARS AT THE ACADEMY, CADETS APPLY THAT KNOWLEDGE IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. THE STUDENT BODY IS REFERRED TO AS THE CADET WING. THE WING IS ACTUALLY RUN BY SENIORS, WITH OFFICER SUPERVISION.TO YOUR LEFT, YOU'LL SEE A BOEING B-52 STRATOFORTRESS. THIS BOMBER, NICKNAMED DIAMOND LIL, SAW OVER 200 COMBAT MISSIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. THE PLANE IS MOST FAMOUS FOR A MISSION DURING LINEBACKER II WHEN ITS TAIL GUNNER, AIRMAN FIRST CLASS ALBERT MOORE, SHOT DOWN A MiG-21. THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY'S AUTHORIZED STRENGTH OF 4,000 CADETS IS THE SAME AS THE NAVAL ACADEMY AT ANNAPOLIS AND THE US MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT. PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER SIGNED THIS ACADEMY INTO BEING IN APRIL OF 1954. THE FIRST CLASS BEGAN TRAINING AT LOWRY AIR FORCE BASE IN DENVER IN 1955 WITH 306 CADETS. THEY MOVED INTO THIS PERMANENT SITE IN COLORADO SPRINGS IN AUGUST OF 1958. NINE MONTHS LATER, 207 CADETS GRADUATED, THE FIRST OF 41 GRADUATING CLASSES. IN ADDITION TO BEING THE YOUNGEST OF THE SERVICE ACADEMIES, THIS IS ALSO THE LARGEST IN LAND AREA. THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY SITS ON APPROXIMATELY 18,500 ACRES. THE COMMISSION APPOINTED TO SELECT THE SITE FOR THIS ACADEMY CONSIDERED 580 PROPOSED SITES. THEY NARROWED THEIR CHOICE DOWN TO THREE LOCATIONS: ALTON, ILLINOIS; LAKE GENEVA, WISCONSIN; AND COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO. THE COMMISSION EXPLAINED THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR AN AREA NOT LESS THAN 15,000 ACRES SO THERE WOULD BE AMPLE SPACE FOR EXPANSION. THEY ALSO STRESSED THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A SITE WITHIN 50 MILES OF CITIES THAT DID NOT HAVE SEVERE TEMPERATURE EXTREMES AND WAS ACCESSIBLE TO RAIL, AIR AND HIGHWAY SYSTEMS.THE OVERLOOKS TO YOUR LEFT GIVE A GOOD VIEW OF THE ACADEMY'S ATHLETIC FACILITIES. THE ATHLETIC FIELDS TO THE LEFT COVER 143 ACRES. THEY INCLUDE 18 FOOTBALL FIELDS, 13 SOCCER FIELDS, TWO BASEBALL DIAMONDS, THREE PUTTING GREENS AND A 400-METER TRACK. THE ACADEMY ALSO HAS TWO 18-HOLE GOLF COURSES ON THE GROUNDS.THE FIELD HOUSE IS THE BUILDING TO THE LEFT. IT CONTAINS AN INDOOR ICE ARENA, BASKETBALL ARENA AND A GENERAL PURPOSE ROOM WITH A FOOTBALL FIELD SURROUNDED BY A 1/6th MILE TRACK. THE GYM HAS AN OLYMPIC SIZE SWIMMING POOL, A DIVING POOL AND A SEPARATE 40-YARD TRAINING POOL. THERE ARE THREE FULL-SIZED GYMNASIUMS, AREAS FOR RACQUET SPORTS, AS WELL AS MULTI-PURPOSE AREAS FOR A VARIETY OF SPORTS AND CONDITIONING. THE NATURAL ROCK FORMATION TO YOUR RIGHT IS CATHEDRAL ROCK. IT HAS ALSO PLAYED A PART IN THE TRADITIONS OF THE ACADEMY. IN THE PAST, ONE OF THE EVENTS THAT SIGNIFIED THE END OF FRESHMAN YEAR WAS THE MARCH TO CATHEDRAL ROCK. FRESHMEN WOULD BRING THE LARGEST BOULDER THEY COULD CARRY BACK TO THE ACADEMY. IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT IF THIS TRADITION CONTINUED, CATHEDRAL ROCK WOULD EVENTUALLY BE MOVED TO THE ACADEMY GROUNDS. SO NOW, MANY SQUADRONS KEEP PERMANENT ROCKS AT THE ACADEMY, HIDE THEM AND THEN TASK THE FRESHMEN TO FIND THEM. THERE ARE MORE THAN 4,000 CADETS HERE AT THE ACADEMY. THERE ARE 36 SQUADRONS IN THE CADET WING. EACH CO-EDUCATIONAL SQUADRON IS ASSIGNED APPROXIMATELY 110 CADETS. WOMEN FIRST ENTERED THE ACADEMY IN 1976 AND GRADUATED IN 1980. THEY REPRESENT APPROXIMATELY 17% OF THE CADET WING. THERE ARE AN EQUAL NUMBER OF FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS AND SENIORS IN EACH SQUADRON. THE FRESHMEN ARE REFERRED TO AS DOOLIES COMING FROM THE GREEK WORD, DOULOS, MEANING 'LIKE A SLAVE '. COMING UP ON THE LEFT YOU CAN SEE THE PLANETARIUM, ARNOLD HALL, HARMON HALL AND THE BEAUTIFUL CADET CHAPEL. ARNOLD HALL IS THE SOCIAL CENTER FOR THE CADETS AND THEIR GUESTS. THE HALL INCLUDES A FORMAL BALLROOM, BANQUET ROOMS, THEATER, CAFETERIA AND LOUNGES. IT ALSO HAS RESTROOMS, HISTORICAL EXHIBITS, A GIFT SHOP AND IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DAILY. IN HONOR COURT, BETWEEN ARNOLD HALL AND THE CADET CHAPEL, ARE WORLD WAR II AIR CRAFT SCULPTURES AND STATUES. THE BUILDING ON THIS SIDE OF HONOR COURT IS THE ACADEMY'S ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, HARMON HALL. THE CADET CHAPEL TOOK FIVE YEARS TO DESIGN AND FOUR YEARS TO BUILD AND WAS COMPLETED IN 1963. THE ARCHITECT WAS WALTER A. NETSCH, JR. FROM THE FIRM SKIDMORE, OWINGS, AND MERROLL ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS OF CHICAGO. THE 17 SPIRES, SOARING 150 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, HAVE NO SPECIFIC SIGNIFICANCE. THE BUILDING CONTAINS SEPARATE CHAPELS, PROVIDING AREAS OF WORSHIP FOR MEMBERS OF ALL FAITHS. THE BARRY GOLDWATER VISITOR CENTER WAS BUILT WITH PRIVATE FUNDS RAISED BY AN ORGANIZATION CALLED THE ACADEMY FOUNDATION. IT OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN JUNE OF 1986. MEMBERS OF THE FOUNDATION NAMED THE CENTER AFTER THE LATE SENATOR GOLDWATER. SENATOR GOLDWATER WAS A RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL IN THE AIR FORCE RESERVE, SERVED ON THE ACADEMY BOARD OF VISITORS, AND HAD LONG BEEN A FRIEND OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AND THE ACADEMY. THE CENTER HAS A NUMBER OF DISPLAYS AND EXHIBITS EXPLAINING THE ACADEMY'S HISTORY, ITS MISSION AND ITS MAJOR PROGRAMS. ADMISSIONS INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE. A 14-MINUTE MOVIE ABOUT THE ACADEMY IS PRESENTED IN THE THEATER EVERY HALF-HOUR. THERE IS A SNACK BAR AND A GIFT SHOP HERE AS WELL. THROUGH THE SOUTH GATE WILL GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO SEE A FEW MORE OF THE SITES HERE ON THE ACADEMY. ON YOUR LEFT IS "DOOLITTLE HALL," HEADQUARTERS FOR THE ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES (THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FOR ACADEMY GRADUATES).THE ACADEMY CLUB IS ON YOUR LEFT, WITH THE VISITING OFFICERS QUARTERS NEXT TO THE TENNIS COURTS. THE HOUSING YOU'RE SEEING ON THE RIGHT IS MILITARY FAMILY HOUSING. THERE ARE 1,229 FAMILY HOUSING UNITS ON THE ACADEMY. IN ADDITION TO THE CADETS, THE ACADEMY HAS APPROXIMATELY 2,200 MILITARY PERSONNEL AND 2,300 CIVILIANS ASSIGNED HERE TO SUPPORT THE ACADEMY PROGRAM.FALCON STADIUM, TO YOUR RIGHT, IS THE HOME OF THE AIR FORCE FALCON FOOTBALL TEAM. IT HAS A SEATING CAPACITY OF 53,000 PEOPLE AND IS ALSO THE SITE OF THE ANNUAL GRADUATION. THE PLANE TO THE LEFT IS A T-38 AIRCRAFT, PAINTED IN THE FAMOUS DESIGN OF THE US AIR FORCE AERIAL DEMONSTRATION TEAM, THE THUNDERBIRDS. THIS OVERLOOK PROVIDES A GOOD SPOT FOR VIEWING THE DIFFERENT FLYING AND JUMP PROGRAMS HERE AT THE ACADEMY.YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE AIRFIELD ON YOUR LEFT. THIS AREA IS HOME TO THREE SEPARATE SQUADRONS. THE 557TH FLYING TRAINING SQUADRON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SCREENING ALL ELIGIBLE CADETS TO DETERMINE WHICH CADETS POSSESS THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABILITIES TO COMPLETE UNDERGRADUATE PILOT TRAINING. TO PROVIDE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, MOTIVATION AND CONFIDENCE TO THOSE CADETS GOING ON TO PILOT TRAINING, AN INTRODUCTORY FLIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM MUST BE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED PRIOR TO ENTERING UNDERGRADUATE PILOT TRAINING. SELECTED CADETS IN THEIR FINAL YEAR AT THE ACADEMY OBTAIN UP TO 40 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME THROUGH AN APPROVED AERO CLUB PROGRAM BEFORE GRADUATION. THE 94th FLYING TRAINING SQUADRON CONDUCTS SOARING COURSES FOR ACADEMY CADETS. IN FACT, THE SOARING PROGRAM IS THE LARGEST GLIDER TRAINING OPERATION IN THE WORLD. ALL OF THE 94th's FLYING PROGRAMS STRESS LEADERSHIP AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. CADETS IN THE SOARING PROGRAM ARE EXP0SED TO AIR FORCE FLYING OPERATIONS AND FUNDAMENTALS OF AIRMANSHIP. UPPER-CLASS CADETS DO 95% OF THE INSTRUCTION IN THE GLIDERS. EVERY CADET HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SOLO IN A SAILPLANE. THE TOW PLANES ARE FLOWN BY CIVILIAN PILOTS ON CONTRACT TO THE ACADEMY, MANY WITH PRIOR MILITARY EXPERIENCE. THE 98th FLYING TRAINING SQUADRON CONDUCTS THE PARACHUTING PROGRAM. IN THE FREE-FALL PARACHUTING PROGRAM, CADETS EARN THEIR PARACHUTIST BADGE BY TAKING 24-HOURS OF GROUND INSTRUCTION FOLLOWED BY 5 FREE-FALL JUMPS. PARACHUTING IS A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM, YET ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF THE CADET WING PARTICIPATE. THE ACADEMY'S PARACHUTE TEAM, THE WINGS OF BLUE, PERFORM AT AIR SHOWS, OPEN HOUSES AND SPORTING EVENTS NATIONWIDE.