Air Education and Training Command officials awarded a $178 million contract for Initial Flight Screening activities to Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Doss Aviation. The Air Force decided last year to dispense with its six-year-old program employing several civilian flight schools to conduct introductory flight training, instead switching to a single operation. Doss now will evaluate all USAF candidates hoping to gain a pilot or combat systems officer training slot. Officials say Doss will provide a turn-key operation, offering all services, facilities, and equipment, including housing, transportation, facilities, and security. IFS students are scheduled to begin training at the company’s Pueblo, Color., facility on Oct. 1, 2006.
The Department of the Air Force wants to launch a construction boom with its fiscal 2027 budget, more than doubling its request over 2026, according to budget documents.