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WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, 8 June 2008 -- Harvard Air Fore ROTC graduate Michael J. Arth '08 took flights in two vintage east-block aircraft at Warbirds of Delaware as winner of the 2008 Harvard ROTC Aviation Award. He was accompanied by Joseph Gano, Jr. ’64, originator of the award. Michael Arth described the experience as follows:
Mr. Gano and I took to the air on a beautiful and hot summer day. Flying in a Cold War-era Soviet MiG-21 was a truly unique experience and awesome experience. Those short and stubby wings seemed bound to allow the plane to fall from the sky but once we were up in the air, I could feel the power of the jet and its relative ease in moving through the air. Taking up the L-39 was a pure joy. That little aircraft felt so agile and effortless as Mr. Gano pushed it through loops, barrel rolls, and aileron rolls. Getting to take the controls for some S-turns, straight and level flight, a high angle of bank turn, and an aileron roll was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I can't believe I'm about to get paid to fly for a living! Thank you to Mr. Gano and to the Harvard ROTC Alumni Fund for making it all possible.
Joseph Gano, Jr. described the Harvard ROTC Aviation Award and mentoring young pilots:
The purpose of the Aviation Award is to motivate cadets planning to enter military aviation. Military aviation covers a lot of areas, but for most the ultimate is the role of fighter pilot. It is not for everyone, so the flights are designed to expose the cadet to military aviation operations and then to the fighter environment. The goal is to inform and educate, so the rides start slowly, and we pick up the tempo only if the cadet is ready.
In addition we discuss the UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training) format and the best ways to approach what is a very different and at least as intense learning environment as the previous four years. By the time a young fighter pilot has become operationally ready, after two years of training, he/she has earned what is easily the equivalent of a Masters Degree. Personally I found my two years easily as intense and challenging as any of my 6 years in the Harvard environment.
We also talk a little about career planning. It is important to look at a military flying job in the same way you look at a professional sport. You will probably be in the cockpit no more that 10 years (full time). Today's graduates are looking at probably 50 years of productive career time, if they wish. That's a long way out. Most graduates are not thinking that far ahead, but it can pay to begin thinking about it. In the USAF, a flying job is the best foundation for a full career. It is also a great asset on a grad school application. You will all have plenty of time for two full careers, whether you leave the military early or stay on for the duration.
Finally, we talk about Harvard's military aviation heritage, which is much richer than you might think. For example, the first US military pilots did not come from the Academies, but from the Ivies, and the streets. Our first military pilots were civilian mercenaries flying for the French under the guise of the French Foreign Legion. The unit was dubbed the Lafayette Flying Corps. There were about 279 members serving in various capacities. A very significant number had Harvard backgrounds. Within this group was the Lafayette Escadrille, 39 fighter pilots, of which 9 had Harvard backgrounds. In addition, when the US officially entered the war Teddy Roosevelt's son Quentin was deployed as a pilot with one of the first US Army fighter squadrons sent to Europe.
For more background on the Harvard ROTC Aviation Award see the 2007 award write-up.
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