Keeping Up with CPCC Alumnus 2nd Lieutenant Chris Reith

Here's the latest from Chris Reith-

I had the honor to graduate with the Class of 2012 from the Air Force Academy on 23 May 2012. I graduated from the Academy in the top 20% of my class academically and overall and was humbly promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. I was humbled to have President Obama as our commencement speaker. Shaking the hand of a US president is something that I will cherish forever.

In February of this year, I was informed that I was pilot qualified and that I would be a pilot trainee in the Air Force. My first duty assignment would be Naval Air Station Whiting Field (near Pensacola, FL) for Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). Following the good news, I asked the love of my life to marry me, and we got married in June. Currently, we both reside in Pensacola.

The road to becoming an Air Force pilot is a long one. The first step for all pilot trainees, is to go to Pueblo, CO for Initial Flight Screening (IFS). This program screens pilot trainees to see if they can survive the rigors and stress of UPT. It's about 3 weeks long and mimics pilot training in almost every way. I showed up in last September and we had about 1 week of ground academics. This consisted of basic aviation knowledge: airspace, weather, aircraft systems, aerodynamics, emergency procedures, airport operations, etc. After that, we hit the flight line and learned to fly the Diamond DA-20 aircraft. The program was stressful due to the "fire hose" of information being given so rapidly. Overall, each pilot trainee gets about 14 hours of flying time and a solo flight. I completed the program in mid-October and returned to Pensacola, only to hear news that the Air Force will no longer be training pilots at Whiting Field. In January, my wife and I will be heading off to Enid, Oklahoma to Vance AFB, where I will train for about 2 years to get my wings.

I cannot overstate how important your support and the support of CPCC has been over the past few years. Keeping in touch with my first alma mater has provided me with the determination to continue giving my best everyday and to never give up. I get chills just thinking about everyone who helped me, inspired me, and encouraged me to shoot for the stars. Not many people get a chance to do what I'm doing and I'd like to say thanks for the support for getting me here.

CPCC Alumnus- 2nd Lieutenant Chris Reith

Historical Background- Chris attended CPCC for 2 years to prepare for acceptance in the Air Force Academy.  Here's what he said about his "prep" time at CPCC. (edited for clarity)

Prior to attending CPCC, I was immature, undisciplined, and naive. Attending CPCC for 2 years broke me of that and set a foundation for the years to come. I learned to become more self-sufficient and to have more personal responsibility when it came to being where I needed to be and getting done what needed to be done. My instructors taught me not only academic knowledge, but study skills and techniques that made learning more enjoyable. If I could do it all over again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

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