Memphis State University - DeSoto Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

Page 24 text:

Recruits learn parachuting precautions early in pilot training. Classroom instruction is as im- portant, if not more so, than flying time itself, said Lt. Col. Corroum, commander of the MSU ROTC pro- gram. The academic phase sup- plies the foundation for flying safely. On the ground the learning took many forms. Air Force officers in- structed the recruits on procedures such as air speeds and altitude. They learned the step by step pro- cesses involved in specific ma- neuvers. Exposure to the simulation cham- ber gave the trainees vital experi- ence by providing realistic cockpit conditions. 20 Academics

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ROTC cadets gain most of their pre-UPT instruction in single engine airplanes. Jets such as the T-38 supply training on more elaborate systems. They learned from the ground up, said Capt. Lou Melinne as he spoke to a MSU ROTC class briefing them about UPT. They began learn- ing how to fly a jet by practicing parachuting and its landing pro- cedures in case of emergencies. After a week of preliminary train- ing every student climbed into a T-37 jet. Fifteen flight-hours later each manned it for his first solo flight. For the next 51 weeks each day was spent studying flight pro- cedures. Academics 19

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■M White exhaust trails a T-38 soaring cross-country. Once in a T-38 it is almost impossible to distinguish it from a real cockpit. US Air Force jet awaits the class of recruits on a UTP camp landing field. Ascent, maneuvers, landing and even crashes could be seen just as they would appear in actual flight. In real T-38 jets, recruits practiced standard flying procedures such as acrobatic, night and group flying. They flew short distances as well as cross-country treks in planes able to break the sound barrier. For the cadets who were called to participate in the UPT program each experienced something which men for ages have attempted: they mounted an engine and touched the sky. Academics 21