Subscribe
JAMIJARI, Finland - From the time Maj. Alexander Haddad was 10-years-old and took his first flight in a Cessna during a Boy Scout field trip, he knew he wanted to fly planes. The fact he got airsick during flight did not deter him from pursuing his dream and making it a reality through the U.S. Air Force.
By the time he was in high school, Haddad narrowed his interest to fighter jets. He applied and was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy to become an officer and to further his dream of flying.
Commissioned from the Academy in 1996, Haddad, an F-15 “Eagle” pilot, is currently part of the Officer Exchange Program where he is one of only six Americans stationed at RAF High Wycombe, U.K. He is in his second year of the three-year program.
The exchange program has not only taught him vital skills and lessons on the importance of partnership capacity, it also opened doors that led to him being the only American to compete in 1st Fédération Aéronautique Internationale World Advanced Glider Aerobatic Championship this month.
During his time in the U.K., Haddad has spent free-time flying with the Royal Air Force Gliding and Soaring Association. Through a bit of luck he had the opportunity to meet Mike Newman, the two-time U.K. Unlimited aerobatics champion. “After he took his first glider for a ride, he knew he wanted to pursue it further. He was able to buy a share in a MDM Fox, a two-seater Polish glider, and began flying the aerobatic circuit soon after.
To be part of the U.K.’s aerobatic team, one has to financially invest a share in its cost and upkeep. So Haddad worked towards this goal, competing for a slot. He was so focused, the U.K. team asked him to join the group. “A lot of great people did a lot of work to get me set up with the world championships, and I have been grateful for them making a place for me on the team,” said Haddad. Now, after just three months, he finds himself in Finland in their first major competition together.
As he does for any competition, Haddad spent considerable time walking through the flight on the ground. “It is a difficult process and involves visualizing everything about a flight, from the winds, maneuvers, judging positions and even the sun angles” said Haddad.
During his flights, Haddad draws on skills that were taught from the F-15 community. While he believes that he can always fly better and is always learning, he says that he try and remain as calm as possible despite nerves and distractions. “It is amazingly difficult to clear your mind before a flight and focus on nothing else, but the ability to compartmentalize is essential,” said Haddad.
Flying, he said, “is always a challenge” and admits that “staying absolutely focused to keep everything as exact as possible” is more challenging than he thought it would be, especially after flying the F-15. “The Eagle definitely gave me the skills I need to compete effectively, especially in such a short period of time,” said Haddad.
The competition was held in Jamijarvi, Finland, from July 17-24, 2010, and included teams from Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K., as well as three individual competitors. But competing in Finland was not without its challenges. High winds, low cloud cover and overcast grey skies delayed the official start of the games by three days. The U.K. finished 4th and Haddad finished 11th overall out of 31 pilots in the competition.
“It is an honor to get to compete. I find it important to advertise what America is doing with our partners both in the military sense and others,” said Haddad. “The aerobatic championships bring people together from many different countries with a common interest and it helps bridge the cultural and social differences between us.”
“The competition was extremely rewarding. It was amazing to see the raw talent and focus of the aviators who participated and I learned a lot simply by watching the way they presented their flights to the judges,” said Haddad. “I am not disappointed with how I placed, but I certainly plan to do better the next time I compete. If I am in the United Kingdom next year, I plan to compete as part of the U.K.'s team again.”
The Air Force, Haddad said, has influenced his life “very positively both personally and professionally. It has been extremely rewarding and significantly influenced how I work with people, my work ethic, etc,” he added. “I realize I may have to put competing on hold for a few years since my first commitment is serving the U.S. as an officer in the Air Force, but I do intend to compete in the future, and hopefully as a member of the U.S. Team.”
When asked what advice he has for young officers who may be interested in expanding their careers, he offered these words, “I still maintain that a depth of experience in their particular expertise is essential with some (emphasis on the some) broadening. The biggest piece of advice when gaining that depth of experience is to keep an open mind, as there are multiple ways to approach problems, and a lot of that depends on the person and what their experience is as well.”
A native of Roanoke, Va., Haddad’s family has a proud military history. His father is a former Marine, an uncle flew F-4s in Vietnam, and his cousin is a lieutenant colonel in the US Army.
For more information about the Officer Exchange Program, visit www.afpc.randolph.af.mil.
To learn more about the aerobatics competition see http://www.jami2010.com/
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2010 06:56 |
| Story ID: | 53525 |
| Location: | JAMIJARI, FI |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 148 |
This work, Floating on Air, by Wayne Clark, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT