The 14th Flyi
ng Training Wing at Columbus AFB, Miss., last month sent its first T-6A Texan II specialized undergraduate pilot training sortie off. The wing only received its first Texan II in mid-October. Columbus is in the process of trading its T-37 Tweets for the new trainers.
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.


