39th FTS instructor pilot nominated for Jabara Airmanship award
By Janis El Shabazz,340th Flying Training Group Public Affairs
/ Published October 25, 2017
JOINT-BASE SAN ANTONIO-Randolph, Texas -- Lt. Col. Justin Fletcher, a 39th Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot serving as a 19th Air Force Reserve Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals instructor here, is the 2018 Air Force Reserve Command nominee for the Col. James Jabara Award for Airmanship.
The Jabara award, established in 1967, was named after Col. James Jabara, the first jet ace and the second-leading ace in the Korean War. It is presented to a United States Air Force Academy graduate or graduates whose actions directly associated with an aircraft set them apart from their contemporaries.
Annually, the Academy and the Association of Graduates present the award to an Academy graduate or graduates whose airmanship contributions are of great significance and set them apart from their contemporaries.
Fletcher is one of two pilots selected to represent the Air Education and Training Command on the advanced pilot training aircraft development team tasked to identify an aircraft to replace the Air Force T-38 Talon, which will be used at five AETC bases, as well as by several NATO nations.
Fletcher’s participation with the team is significant. The team built a groundbreaking value adjusted total evaluated price (or VATEP) model from scratch, which was the first-ever Air Force use of the VATEP model. The Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force praised team-authored papers and briefs, which were said to have greatly contributed to increasing the new trainer’s capabilities.
“Team members are all professionals and it’s very humbling and an honor working alongside such an amazing group,” Fletcher said. The team included members from AETC here, the System Program Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and the test community at Edwards Air Force Base, California. “The active duty, government civilians/contractors, and Reserve working alongside one another for this program’s success is critical for a strong foundation to build on for the future.”
Fletcher and the team led the operations and maintenance training systems requirements analysis process, and development of the new platform’s maintenance training system.
“The unrivaled impact of Lt. Col. Fletcher’s work will be evident across the next five generations of Air Force pilots,” said 39th FTS commander Lt. Col. Kyle Goldstein. “Because of Fletcher and his team, Air Force pilots will continue to be the world’s best-trained aviators learning critical fighter fundamentals on the most advanced, cutting-edge training aircraft possible. The Air Force and our allies will benefit tremendously with this addition to our training capabilities.”