Cadet Orientation Flights-A Story About The End and the Beginning
Cadet Orientation Flights-A Story About The End and the Beginning
By 1st Lt Roger Aylstock
Texas Wing, Group V Public Affairs Officer
David Lee "Tex" Hill Composite Squadron Public Affairs Officer
In the summer of 1964, a young boy tentatively walked onto the flightline at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio to take his first Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadet orientation flight. At the time, the squadron was using a bright yellow Piper J-3 Cub similar to the one in the photo below. Under the direction of a senior member, he helped push the plane from the hangar and wash it before he could get into the front seat for his first ever, eagerly anticipated flight. The pilot, who was sitting in the rear, taxied out to the runway and took off. In the air, the pilot let the young boy handle the controls under his direction. Together, they took a few trips around the airport. It was the boy’s first experience with flight and it was magical. Not only did it provide a great introduction to the principles of aeronautics and general aviation, but it also planted a seed in the young boy’s heart that would be nurtured in his teens – only to lay dormant for the next fifty years as a responsible adult.
Photo Caption: Civil Air Patrol Piper J-3 Cub
Photo Credit: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
Photo Caption: 1st Lt Aylstock as a young CAP cadet.
Fast forward, that same young boy, now much older and wiser, is a private pilot, 1st Lt. and senior member of the David Le “Tex” Hill Composite Squadron in San Marcos, Texas. On Saturday, December 10, 2022, he completed his first cadet orientation flight – but this time from the pilot’s seat! What goes around, comes around.
Photo Caption: C/Amn Kelley and 1st Lt Aylstock with the Squadron’s Cessna 172.
Yes, this boy-to-man-to-pilot story is mine, but not without the myriad of twists and turns that often accompany the childhood dream of growing up and becoming a pilot. That first flight in 1964, led me to join up with the “Wright-Pat” squadron for the next six years. I ended up as a Cadet Captain and Cadet squadron commander. My diligence was rewarded with a flight scholarship through CAP that paid for the first part of my private pilot flight lessons. I soloed in a Cessna 150 at 7.9 hours, thanks, in part to my several flights in that original CAP Piper Cub.
After about 10 hours of private instruction, I ran out of money and was not able to continue. I wasn’t too worried at the time, as my plan was to join the Air Force as fighter pilot. It was here that I encountered the first hiccup in my quest to be a pilot. Upon taking an entrance physical, it was revealed my eyesight did not meet the standards to be a USAF pilot. It was a crushing blow. At the time, I had no mentors, nor friends or family members in aviation to help me navigate my way into being a pilot outside of military service. Being young, I had pretty much placed all my piloting eggs in the one military basket!
This was in the early 1970’s so there was no Google, YouTube or Reddit available that might outline the various paths that could lead one into the field of commercial aviation. Someone in the USAF recruiting office had offered me the opportunity join as a navigator, but at the time, that seemed like I’d be settling. Since I had a higher than normal draft number, I declined.
However, as is often the case, my interest in flying did not abate. For as Leonardo di Vinci said, “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” When an opportunity arose for me to work at Northrop Corporation (now Northrop Grumman) and build parts for the F-5 fighter, I took it. Over the ensuing years I often attended local airshows and usually persuaded my family to come along. I was especially fond of the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels and seldom missed them if they were within a hundred miles of me. If an airplane passed overhead, I instinctively looked up to see if I could identify it. I’m sure if he were still alive, Leonardo could relate.
Fast forward to the spring of 2018. My wife had been going through a box of mementos and had come across my flight logbook from Ohio. Since she had decided, in her sixties, to pursue getting her B.A as a personal bucket item list, she handed the logbook to me and suggested that I might go finish this bucket list item of my own. It seemed somewhat daunting to me at the time, since I was nearing retirement and hadn’t been a student for some time. Luckily, there was a small airport just 15 minutes from our home. I reasoned, what could it hurt to at least check out what it would take? I ended up taking a discovery flight in a Piper Cherokee. Oh man, this seemed familiar! It was a great flight. With my wife’s full support, I restarted my flight lessons with my original ten hours. I received my Private Pilot’s License in September of 2019. Not long after that, I saw something about Civil Air Patrol in the news that brought back good memories, so I visited and ended up joining the CAP squadron in San Marcos as a senior member.
As many of you already know, Orientation fights (or “O-Flights” as they are called) are much different in CAP today. Each cadet can have up to five O-Flights as they consider their own future in aviation. These rides are usually around an hour each and are equally enjoyed by both the potential cadet and senior orientation pilot. For those of you considering becoming a CAP orientation pilot, (and trust me here, it’s a blast), you need at least 200 Pilot in Command hours and a check ride with a CAP check pilot.
My first O-Flight was with Cadet Airman Kelley and it was his second O-Flight. We spent about a half hour prior to our flight discussing topics such as flight characteristics, weather, safety items, and Air Traffic Control communications. We then went out to the ramp, and he observed my preflight inspection of the aircraft. We then hopped in the cockpit, and he helped with the pre-startup checklist and we did another safety briefing. With the engine revving, we called the tower and taxied to runway 17 for a westbound departure toward Canyon Lake, a local training area. Reaching a cruising altitude of 3000’ MSL, Cadet Kelley took the controls and practiced turns, climbs and descents for about 30 minutes. As we approached the San Marcos airport, I took back the controls to land and taxi back. After securing the aircraft, we debriefed. I believe it was a wonderful day for both of us!
I read somewhere – probably on someone’s living room wall – You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. This is what I did with my childhood dreams of becoming a pilot. For me, the end and the beginning are the same place.
