Pilot Decison
In high school, I hadn’t seriously considered my post-graduation plans. College didn’t appear feasible since my father couldn’t afford it for any of us four kids, with me being the eldest.
As a Lakes High School senior, I attended a mandatory meeting with the school counselor to discuss my possible future. While waiting in his outer office, I noticed a rotating rack filled with pamphlets. The one about the Air Force caught my eye, perhaps because my dad had served. Growing up as an “Air Force Brat,” I spent my first 15 years around Air Force bases, and that life always seemed appealing to me.
While examining the brochure, which featured monochromatic images of aircraft and smiling aviators (exclusively males at that time) clad in flight gear, I recalled a remark once made by my father, who served as a Master Sergeant in the Air Force. He had expressed his frustration about the officers by saying, “Those damn officers. They make a ton of money and don’t do anything.”
Hmmm…that sounded intriguing. Who wouldn’t want that for a living?
I clung to the pamphlet as I entered the counselor’s office. During our conversation, I broached the topic of an Air Force career. He glanced at my folder, furrowing his brow, and delivered an emotionless verdict: “I don’t believe you have the necessary IQ for that.” It was a rare moment when shock and anger collided within me. The meeting concluded abruptly. With a nonchalant shrug, I rose from my seat and exited the room, silently muttering to myself, “Challenge accepted!”
I completed the pamphlet form that evening and promptly mailed it the following day. Fortunately, it was still January, allowing me to apply for scholarships without delay. Approximately a week later, I received a response—a letter in the mail—inviting me to take the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT). I had to get on McChord Air Force Base to take the exams. Back then, as long as your car had a military supplied sticker, you could get waved right through. So getting to the testing location wasn’t hard in Dad’s car.
Dad's 1968 Ford Mustang
The test was a battery of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Some were asked twice or more times in a different way. Towards the end of the test, there were visuals of various flight instruments that you needed to match with airplanes in different positions. An aircraft might be in a right bank, climbing, or descending. To me, it seemed straightforward. However, at that point in my life, I wasn’t aware of the various learning styles children have. As it turned out, I was a tactile/visual learner, which meant I struggled in classes where the only instruction was chalk writing on dark blackboards. On the other hand, I excelled in geometry and biology because I could visualize angles and answers in my mind, or even touch the dissected frog. This unique ability also contributed to my proficiency as a pilot.
About a week later, I received another invitation to take a medical examination. That seemed to me that I must have done well on the AFOQT, right? I didn’t receive a score that I remember, just this invitation. So, I got a full medical checkup complete with bloodwork, turned my head and coughed, hearing test, and a detailed eye examination. I never wore glasses and the examiner was kind enough to say I had 20/20 in my left eye and 20/15 in my right. He assured me that was good. Later I would find that if you had anything worse than 20/20 in both eyes you could not be entered into pilot training at that time.
I was informed that I had passed this phase and went into a final phase. This was an essay exam. They would ask a question and you had a whole page to hand write the answer. We could take this one home. So I answered as best I could. One question that haunted me was “What leadership positions have you had?”
I really never had much of an opportunity when I thought about it. I started Junior High school in Grand Forks, North Dakota. We rode a bus 17 miles from the base into town every day. In my 8th grade I was voted to be class president at Schroeder Junior High for the 9th grade, but that summer my Dad retired and we moved to a new location… Tacoma, Washington. That was 1965. When we got settled in, I went to Hudtloff Junior High for the 9th grade only. The next year I attended Lakes High School and joined organized sports for the first time in my life. Cross country, wrestling, and track. I didn’t understand the value of clubs, but I did join the letterman’s club and the very first computer club, where I was president. Pretty pathetic if you need to prove your leadership. So in the essay I explained that we had moved often and I had to compete with people who had grown up their whole lives in the same schools. There was almost no chance for me to be voted into any office as I was always an unknown kid.
I pretty much gave up hope of getting anything at that point. I started looking into various jobs at a Piggly Wiggly where I worked as a stock and bag boy. I could work my way up to assistant manager someday and maybe even manager if I played my cards right.
But in March of 1970, three months before graduation, I received a letter informing me that I had received a full college scholarship to be a Second Lieutenant and pilot in the United States Air Force! I had to sit down and read it a second time to make sure I understood. I smiled a lot during those last 3 months of high school.
But I questioned myself, wondering if they had made a mistake. I could not have convinced them of my leadership ability, never having the opportunity to show it in school. Over the years I imagined being the Major or Lieutenant Colonel who sat on the board reviewing my essay. I think they may have been thinking of their own children having the same issue and experiencing great empathy with my plight. I will never know for sure.
Now I just had to get accepted (with my 3.3 grade point average) to one of the colleges nationwide that had Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) on campus. The only one happier than me was my Mom and Dad. (I guess that officer thing wasn’t a total loss for Dad.)
The scholarship paid for tuition, books and even had a monthly stipend of $50 spending money. But not housing nor food. So I looked at the two local colleges that had the program that I could drive to from home. Both were private colleges with very expensive tuition. Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) and the University of Puget Sound (UPS).
I applied for UPS and was blessed with an acceptance letter in early May. That summer I worked at a construction site making a good salary. I finally worked up the courage to ask this beautiful high school alumni, Jody Andrews, out for a date. An exciting four years of college with embedded military training awaited me. Included was the first phase of pilot training in a four seat, Cessna 172. My next stories will be highlighting some experiences in that airplane.
