JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
For months, Lt. Col. Mark Schmidt, 435th Fighter Training
Squadron commander, has been on a mission with 435th FTS flight commanders and
instructors to instill wisdom and leadership skills in young fighter pilots.
“Our primary goal is to teach wingmen the fundamentals of
being a fighter pilot,” Schmidt said. “However, we have also been on a mission
concerning two important matters: wisdom and leadership.
“After they finish with us they go to their fighter aircraft
unit to learn the basics of flying that aircraft,” he said. “We teach them the foundation of being a
fighter pilot: how to handle a brief, how to aggressively fly an aircraft, how
to handle a debrief and how to handle being in a squadron.”
In keeping with this initiative, the squadron opened a
library Aug. 28 filled with books centered on strategic thought, leadership and
military history and heritage.
“The Claire Chennault
Library of Strategic Thought was opened in honor of General Chennault, a
legendary fighter pilot and founder of the Flying Tigers in World War II, which
later became the 14th Air Force,” Maj. Gavin Peterson, 435th FTS instructor,
said.
The library not only opened to honor the late general, but
to also inspire young Airmen that walk the 435th FTS hallways.
“The title is appropriate given the goal of honoring Air
Force heritage and bold, visionary leaders,” Manning said. “Members of the
435th FTS felt that Gen. Chennault embodied the type of revolutionary leader
that we aim to be and encourage others to be.”
“We want to know what it means to be a great leader and by
visiting leaders from different fields and having an opportunity to interview
them, we are learning first-hand what it takes,” Schmidt said.
By the time students graduate, Schmidt said instructors see
the transition their students have made throughout the course.
“It’s exciting to see them embrace what they have learned,”
Schmidt said.
“Throughout this journey of learning to become critical,
creative and diverse thinkers, squadron members learned that wise warriors live
a life focused on others,” Schmidt said. “Humility and gratitude are essential
qualities of wise warriors and leaders, and wisdom can be better than weapons
of war.”
The mission of 435th FTS is to provide future fighter pilots
and weapon systems officers with the foundation they need to succeed.
At the 435th FTS, instructors also train Introduction to
Fighter Fundamentals instructors for Air Education Training Command.
So far this year, 97 Air Force students, 27 international
students and six instructors have graduated.
A new class arrives every three weeks. At any given time
there are about 30 students in the squadron with 10 in each class.
“Our students are fresh out of pilot training and there is a
lot of energy in a squadron when you have brilliant first and second
lieutenants arriving regularly,” Schmidt said. “You feel it as you walk around
the squadron’s facilities. We want to take that energy and direct it toward
something greater than ourselves.”
Schmidt and his team have hosted and visited several
leaders, from Vietnam veterans and military leaders to national sport coaches
and civic leaders in pursuit of a better understanding of what makes a great
leader.
“This ongoing professional development initiative has
consisted of visits and interviews with prominent business, political and
sports leaders, an off-station squadron ‘hot wash’ event, attendance at the
2015 Global Leadership Summit, a squadron book club, and a dedicated career day
for each class,” Maj. Timothy Manning, 435th FTS instructor, said.
After graduating from either undergraduate pilot training or
undergraduate combat systems officer training, pilots and CSOs go through the 435th
FTS’ nine-week program, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, to prepare them
for follow on assignments in a fighter aircraft.
A squadron within the 12th Flying Training Wing, the 435th
FTS is responsible for four single-source aviation pipelines. These pipelines
include combat systems officer training, pilot instructor training, remotely
piloted aircraft pilot and basic sensor operator training.
Once student pilots graduate from the 435th FTS, they move
on to training in one of six fighter aircraft: F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16
Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, A-10 Thunderbolt II or F-15C Eagle.