By STAN KASPRZYK

FlightLog Archive

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Aircraft Flown

50 Years of USAFA Soaring - Oct 2026

During my four years attending the USAF Academy from 1972 through 1976, I enjoyed the opportunity to obtain my private pilot rating in gliders between my freshman and sophomore year. Out of our class of 1000+ members, 125 of us were lucky enough to be selected for the summer glider training. During the next summer, about 20 of us were selected to continue our training and obtain our Commercial, then our Flight Instructor ratings, all while flying classic Schweizer gliders, the 2-22, 2-33 and 1-26, plus the sole higher performance Phoebus-C at the end of my Senior year. Between our Junior and Senior years, the 20 cadet instructors took the new sophomores through their private training, getting hundreds of training flights and great instructional experience. All of the 20 cadet instructors later excelled in pilot and navigator training, obtaining a majority of fighter and instructor assignments out of pilot training.

Based on our feedback and other classes inputs, the AF Academy instituted a soar for all program, giving all cadets the opportunity to learn flying and airmanship skills through glider flying. In 2002, the Academy replaced their Schweizer gliders with Czechoslovakian Blanik L23s, with a military designation of TG-10, which they flew until 2012. The Blanik models included the TG-10B for L23 Super Blaniks, TG-10C for L13AC Blaniks, and TG-10D for L33 Solos. In 2011, the AF Academy modernized its entire fleet of training sailplanes, acquiring 19 high performance DG-1001 sailplanes, while giving them the Air Force designation of TG-16A. The DG Sailplane US distributor tapped me to provide the initial checkout on the DG-1001 to the USAF Academy cadre and USAF Test Pilots while flying the first TG-16A at Edwards AFB in June 2011.

In 2026, while planning for our 50th AF Academy reunion of the Class of 76, I organized a mini-reunion for any of our classmates who had been cadet soaring instructors to visit the glider airfield and check out the training program and fleet of TG-16As. The 94th Flying Training Squadron (FTS) Commander, L/C Curt Holtman and the squadron coach, chief instructor and historian Mark Matticola hosted us on an impressive tour of the squadron training facilities, simulators, hangar and added a walk out to the active soaring runway with its 1.41 million-square-foot artificial turf sailplane landing area.

To add icing to the cake, L/C Holtman coordinated with two F-15s that had flown over a memorial ceremony at the AF Academy cemetery to fly a low approach to the runway right next to us. As the F-15s flew by, they lit their afterburners for an EPIC bone-vibrating flyby to cap off the reunion mini-tour! After 50 years away for many of us, all the former instructors were impressed with the facilities, aircraft, and especially the professionalism of the 94FTS staff and instructors. The future of USAFA Academy Soaring is in good hands!

For additional icing to our cake, the 94 FTS later provided 'USAFA 94FTS Soaring Instructor Pilot' patches to the entire visiting Class of 76 former soaring instructors. Well done!"