HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- The annual Undergraduate Flying Training board selected three Team Hanscom officers serving in the Enterprise IT and Cyber Infrastructure Division of the Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Directorate here to attend flying training to become Air Force pilots.
Capt. Benjamin Persian, contracting officer, 1st Lt. Jesse Yoder, developmental engineer, and 1st Lt. Alexander Stauth, cost estimator, submitted their applications this past November. Persian and Yoder took flying lessons through the Hanscom Aero Club on base in order to improve their scores for the board.
“I have always been interested in flight training, so I decided to apply,” said Persian. “It is a competitive process, where they examine applicants’ performance records, flying aptitude, medical history, and mindset to determine if they will be a good fit for the program.”
Stauth said the application process requires careful planning and coordination.
“I started about a year out, getting my medical documents done and making sure that I had all the boxes checked,” he said.
Steve Bates, Hanscom Aero Club manager, acknowledged the benefits for aspiring pilots to join the club.
“Applicants to the board can increase their overall score by taking flying lessons with us,” he said. “If they can get an FAA rating in piloting or instrument flying, it makes them a more viable candidate.”
According to their website, the Hanscom Aero Club is an FAA-certified flight school certified to teach private pilot, commercial pilot, and instrument rating classes.
“I wanted to get more experience and improve my record, so I joined the Aero Club to build flight hours,” said Persian. “They were very supportive and I learned a lot from them.”
According to Bates, the club has a well-maintained fleet of four Piper Warrior and three Piper Arrow four-seat light aircraft, as well as a Red Bird full-motion simulator at their facility.
“One of the advantages of the Aero Club is that we can give people training and experience prior to entering the Air Force training regime,” he said.
When Yoder arrived at Hanscom in 2018, he started work on his private pilot’s license right away. He earned it in two years and submitted his application as soon as he had his license.
“The flight training provided by the Aero Club really paid off,” he said. “The club has many great instructors and I’m certain that it improved my chances enough that I got selected on the 2021 board.”
Selected candidates get a training slot in either Undergraduate Pilot Training, Undergraduate Combat Systems Officer Training, Undergraduate Remotely Piloted Aircraft Training, or Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training.
According to the Air Education and Training Command’s website, candidates begin the program with Initial Flight Screening at Pueblo, Colorado, to gauge aptitude for flight and introduce candidates to the rigors of military aviation and training.
Pilot candidates then attend either Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard AFB, Texas, or Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi; Laughlin AFB, Texas; or Vance AFB, Oklahoma. ENJJPT is strictly fighter pilot training while SUPT encompasses training tracks for bombers and fighters or airlift and tankers.
Persian, Yoder, and Stauth say they are looking forward to their new careers as Air Force pilots, but admitted that achieving their goal of attending flying school is bittersweet as it means leaving Hanscom.
“I will certainly miss the organization and my teammates that I have worked with over the last four years,” Yoder said. “Leading a team of eight network engineers, analyzing performance issues on our networks and endpoints has been very interesting and quite rewarding. I learned how critical our networks are to the Air Force mission and created some great working relationships.”
Persian said his leadership was very supportive of his efforts to become a pilot.
“Being the branch chief for the Air Force’s Cloud One contract was a great job and I am going to miss working with all the professionals here at Hanscom,” he said.
Stauth said as a cost estimator, he looks at new or existing programs and works with the engineers and program developers to figure out what a program should cost the military and help form the budget for the next year.
“It was very different from what I did at my last base and I absolutely loved it,” Stauth said. “It’s something that I’ve enjoyed, had fun with, and will miss, but I’m looking forward to the challenges of my new career.”
Col. Justin Collins, senior materiel leader of the division where the three work, praised the men for their perseverance in pursuing flight training while staying fully engaged in their C3I&N duties.
“The HNI division family is extremely proud of these three outstanding Airmen,” said Collins. “We are definitely going to miss the leadership and energy they bring to our demanding mission of keeping our Airmen and Guardians connected to their critical mission data around the globe. We are excited for the next chapter in their careers as they pursue their dreams of flying for the world’s most dominant Air Force!”