Aircraft of the Academy's airmanship programs

The Academy’s Twin Otter UV-18B is an airlift support plane for cadet parachuting and the Air Force Wings of Blue parachute team. The Air Force owns three. They can carry a pilot, copilot and up to 17 jumpers. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Aircraft of the Academy's airmanship programs

The Cirrus Aircraft T-53A is a small, single engine aircraft at the Academy that replaced the fleet of Diamond DA-40 T-52s in the spring of 2012. It is slightly larger than the T-52 and has a slightly higher horsepower engine. It provides exposure to powered flight and gives cadets the opportunity to solo. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Soaring

The TG-10 gliders were used for 140,000 flights and flew at 24,000 feet They had a record flight duration of 6.1 hours. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Sarah Chambers)

Colo. Springs bases respond to Waldo Canyon fire

A C-130 Hercules equipped with a Modular Airborne Firefighting System heads toward the Waldo Canyon fire in the Pike National Forest near Colorado Springs, Colo., June 25, 2012. Two C-130s from the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing joined forces with two similarly equipped C-130s from the 302nd AW at Peterson Air Force Base to help contain the fire. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Obama to Class of 2012: Your spirit is essence of America

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform an air show over Falcon Stadium after the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2012 Graduation Ceremony May 23, 2012, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Air Force Aerial Demonstration Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., performs more than 30 air shows around the world annually. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Cadet Wing wraps up 1st Polaris Warrior

A CV-22 Osprey with the 20th Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., descends on the Air Force Academy Cadet Area during the Academy's Polaris Warrior event April 28, 2012. Polaris Warrior combined several military training challenges designed to reinforce skills that cadets may need in the field. (U.S. Air Force photo/Raymond McCoy)

Tuskegee

James H. Harvey III, a documented original Tuskegee Airman, talks to basic cadets during his visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy airfield Monday. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Mike Kaplan)

Tuskegee

Brig. Gen. Richard Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy commandant of cadets, takes the Stearman PT-13D Spirit of Tuskegee for “a spin” during its stopover at the Academy July 11. The aircraft is making its last cross-country flight to be part of the inaugural exhibitions of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Mike Kaplan)

Air Force Academy Graduation 2011

The Air Force Thunderbirds Aerial Demonstration Squadron performs an air show for a crowd of about 25,000 people after the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony May 25, 2011, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley was the guest speaker for graduation. (Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Air Force Academy Graduation 2011

The Air Force Thunderbirds Aerial Demonstration Squadron performs an air show for a crowd of about 25,000 people after the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony May 25, 2011, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley was the guest speaker for graduation. (Air Force photo/Ray McCoy)

Air Force Academy Graduation 2011

The Air Force Thunderbirds Aerial Demonstration Squadron leads off the hat toss as 1,021 newly commissioned second lieutenants toss their hats in the air at the end of the Air Force Academy's Class of 2011 graduation ceremony May 25, 2011. The Class of 2011 is the Academy's 53rd graduating class. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ray McCoy)

Air Force Academy Graduation 2011

The Air Force Thunderbirds Aerial Demonstration Squadron leads off the hat toss as 1,021 newly commissioned second lieutenants toss their hats in the air at the end of the Air Force Academy's Class of 2011 graduation ceremony May 25, 2011. The Class of 2011 is the Academy's 53rd graduating class. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ray McCoy)

Academy grads support Antarctica mission

A C-17 Globemaster III taxies on an ice runway at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in October 2010. C-17 crewmembers from the 62nd Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., spent several days at the Antarctic base to learn more about the National Science Foundation mission there and wrote about their experiences on the Defense Department's "Armed with Science" blog. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Falcons rout Cougars in teams' final MWC matchup

An F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor fly over Falcon Stadium at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., before kickoff against BYU Sept. 11, 2001. Air Force defeated BYU, 35-14, in both teams' Mountain West Conference openers. (U.S. Air Force photo/Dennis Rogers)

Cadet Wing accepts Class of 2014

A U-2 Dragon Lady flies above the Stillman Parade Field at the Air Force Academy as part of the Acceptance Day ceremony here Aug. 4, 2010. An Academy graduate with the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., piloted the aircraft for the flyover. (U.S. Air Force photo/J. Rachel Spencer)

USAFA Soaring

Air Force Academy cadets fly in a TG-15A glider over Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 23, 2010. Cadets typically fly 10-15 training sorties in the TG-15A and undergo 50-hour cross-country upgrade training before they can fly cross-country solo in the TG-15B. The 94th Flying Training Squadron conducts more than 30,000 sorties per year in support of the Academy Soaring Program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Bendet)

Airmen support space shuttle launch

Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station Feb. 8, 2010. This was the final scheduled night launch for the space shuttle program. Col. Terry Virts Jr., a 1989 Air Force Academy graduate, is pilot for the STS-130 mission. (NASA photo/Jim Grossmann)

Football: Defense carries Falcons to 26-14 victory over Aztecs

A Heritage Flight consisting of a P-51 Mustang, A-10A Thunderbolt and F-15 Eagle flies over Falcon Stadium, Colo., during Falcons pregame ceremonies for the Air Force-San Diego State game Sept. 26, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bill Evans)