And the assignment is...

Hello all!

It's mid-July and I am playing catch-up. I last wrote that we were anticipating what was to come for Brian in his career as a pilot. Well, I am happy to say he graduated! Yay! So what are we doing next, you might ask? We aren't going anywhere. Brian received the assignment of T-1 FAIP (First Assignment Instructor Pilot) which means we will be staying in Columbus for three more years so Brian can instruct other students in the T-1 (don't worry, I will attach a photo of the plane below).

Assignment Night, where the students learn their next adventure, was so much fun! It's a big party!! All of the assignments are a surprise and it is both fun and nerve-racking to wait and see what each person receives.



Our family at Assignment Night



The lovely ladies of 14-10

Brian and two of his buddies, Nate and Nate.
Besides the surprise, A-Night is also a huge party... with lots of beer!

After A-Night, comes Graduation! It was a wonderful day spent with both of our families and many friends. After 13 long months of training, Brian finally got to walk across that stage and receive his wings. Absolutely one of the best moments of his life and certainly one of the proudest in mine. It was the culmination of all the hard work, stress, anger, tears (even though he would deny that), and also happiness of the past year in training. I could not be more proud of him and all his accomplishments. After the graduation ceremony, Brian got to take our family into the simulators and let them fly the airplanes. As far as I know, no one crashed. Probably came close though! After all of that, we made our way to the formal dinner. My favorite part of the day! We were all dressed up, looking fancy and just enjoying the happiness of the day. The boys even got to recognize the wives by presenting them a rose. Definitely the highlight of my night and a perfect way to end such a fun night!

 

Our family after the graduation ceremony.
Notice those wings on his chest?
That's my husband, the USAF Pilot!

 

Both our families together for Graduation

 

My sexy pilot husband and I at the formal graduation dinner

One of the coolest parts of the graduation ceremony is the traditional breaking of the wings. It seems kind of silly to break a pair of wings after just receiving them, but there is some deep-rooted tradition in it. Here is the story behind it (or some version of it):

     Since man started flying, he has taken to the air a certain amount of risk. To counter that risk, a tradition was established years ago when the Army Air Corps first started issuing pilot wings to their young aviators. This tradition is called “BREAKING OF THE WINGS.” At every UPT graduation, the Air Force issues the pilots their pair of wings. As tradition has it, the pilot should never wear that first pair of wings. To bring good luck, the pilot should break the wings into two parts. The pilot should keep one half, the other half should be given to the pilot’s best friend or relative. To preserve good luck, the halves should never be brought together while the pilot is alive. After death the two halves are once again united with the pilot for good luck in the next life.

I have to say I was so honored to receive the other half of Brian's wings! It is truly a special gift that I will cherish forever.

Breaking of the Wings

So what are we doing now you ask? Well we are in San Antonio for PIT (pilot instructor training) so Brian can learn how to teach other students. We will be here until October and then we return to Mississippi back to our lovely house for the next three years. Needless to say, there is so much to do here in San Antonio and we have already begun the adventures. I will be posting plenty of our adventures very soon!

 

 

 

Oh and as promised, a picture of the plane Brian is flying for the next few years...

 

The T-1A Jayhawk