IFF converts pilot to combat culture

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Before pilots step into a fighter aircraft, they must go through Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals – no IFFs ands or butts. IFF is an eight-week course designed to transform newly graduated pilots selected to fly fighters into wingmen. Columbus AFB is one of three Air Education and Training Command bases that train students to become fighter wingmen. The others are Randolph and Sheppard AFB in Texas. CAFB’s 49th Fighter Training Squadron teaches pilots the discipline, attitude and culture of combat aviation. “It’s their first glimpse of the fighter culture,” said Maj. Michael Overstreet, 49th FTS assistant director of operations. Before a pilot enters IFF, they must earn their wings by graduating from Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT). In transitioning to more complex fighters, such as the first-generation F22 Raptors or F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, IFF builds upon the training learned in SUPT, which focused on basic tactical aviation in the T-38C Talon. “We try to help shallow the learning curve from pilot training to that B-course or formal training,” said Capt. Cole Stegeman, 49th FTS chief of scheduling. “That’s why we use this program as a means of that indoctrination of fighter culture and what it means to be a fighter pilot.”(Source: Columbus AFB 03/14/19)