APPOINTEE INFO
Members Only
Join Us
USAFA Parents Club & Class
Fundraisers
Falcon Family News:
current
Falcon Family News:
Archives
|
|
Planning your visit to USAFA
Appointees: also see USAFA
Appointee Orientation Info
TIPS & SUGGESTIONS
AIRPORTS
: Colorado Springs Airport (COS) is a 45 min drive to the Academy's south entrance. Denver International
Airport (DIA) is 1 hr 45 min away from the Academy's north entrance. (Assuming good weather conditions.)
While no Academy shuttles are regularly available for transit from the airports to the Academy, during
Appointee Orientation the Academy offers free shuttle rides from key hotel locations to Doolittle Hall on
the Academy campus during the early morning & late afternoon on designated days. Taxi service is available
by phone 719.777.7777.
HOTELS/MOTELS
: COS is a popular vacation destination during Parents' Weekend and Appointee Orientation. Book your
hotel reservation several months in advance if possible. COS is very spread out, with the drive from the
Academy entrances (either north or south) to Doolittle Hall on the campus requiring 10-20 min depending on
traffic. A rental car is invaluable for travel between the Academy & your hotel.
RESTAURANTS
: Most COS restaurants offer a free continental breakfast, with some offering eggs & more. COS is filled
with restaurants of varying degrees of quality & cost, with something to please everybody. Many restaurants
are within walking distance of the hotels closest to the Academy.
WHAT TO DO
: For Parents' Weekend (PW), much depends on your cadet. Some cadets are eager to visit the sights, take in
a movie (they won't have seen one since In-Processing), & visit a nice restaurant. Other cadets may want
to sleep in at your hotel room, rest & relax most of the time, & order room service. Wait to hear what
your cadet wants to do. One recommendation is to visit Jack's Valley, the woodsy site of Basic Cadet Training
II, where your basic cadet underwent many memorable challenges. The tour is a not-to-be-missed event with your
cadet, who will hopefully narrate along the way. At the least, upperclassmen man some of the stations at
Jack's Valley & offer insight into your basic cadet's activities.
WHAT TO BRING TO COS :
The Academy is 7,258 feet above sea level. Most parents need a couple of days to acclimate
to the elevation. The air is dry, & a wind constantly blows from the mountains, varying in
degree only by velocity. When visiting the Academy, bring ...
Government-issued ID
proof of car insurance
sun screen
lip balm & moisturizer
sweater, jacket, or coat for the cooler weather at higher elevation
water to stay hydrated
camera
cell phone to contact your cadet, for he/she is allowed to use it during PW
WHEN TO VISIT?
Families new to the Academy often ask when to visit, especially if time or budget-constrained. From
Appointee Orientation (April), In-Processing (June), Acceptance Day (August), to Parents' Weekend (end of
August - early September) many parents of incoming appointees have a hard time deciding.
The Appointee Orientation is one of the best opportunities to visit the
Academy with your child when s/he is making the decision on whether or not to attend. It affords both your
cadet & you a good time to get all of your questions answered by current cadets & the command staff.
For In-Processing (InP), many appointees choose to travel alone to the Academy, while some appointees
want their families with them before they ascend the stairs. It is a personal choice, but know that
several companies & individuals offer very good DVDs of the major milestones during the first year the
appointee is at the Academy.
Acceptance Day (AD) is an accomplishment that was opened to families
a few years back. AD is when the basic cadets are formally accepted into the Cadet Wing, & pinned by a
cadet officer with boards on their previously bare shoulders. It is a proud moment. Some parents visit
the Academy; most do not during AD.
The optimal choice if you have only one opportunity to visit is the
Parents' Weekend (PW) that coincides with Labor Day weekend. It's a chance to discover what
your basic cadet underwent, to meet his/her roommates & friends, to meet his/her professors & instructors,
& to meet the squadron command. The football game pre-show is a not-to-be-missed spectacular extravaganza
that includes flying jets in formation flying low over Falcon Stadium, the Academy Band performing rousing
songs, hang-gliders landing on the football field, & the entire Cadet Wing marching in. Many of the
squadrons also offer tailgate BBQs pre-game, offering a good opportunity to meet other squadron parents.
PW is when parents get to visit the many places that their basic cadet has written home about, making the
memories more poignant from Mitchell Hall (the dining center) to Jack's Valley (the site of BCT II).
Back to Top
| |
03 FEB 2010 LETTER
FROM LtGENL GOULD
Click above to read more.
USAFA RECOMMENDS
USAFA PARENTS CLUBS
Click above to read more.
|
|
|
USAF Core Values
|
|
I n t e g r i t y . F i r s t
. - .
S e r v i c e . B e f o r e . S e l f . - . E x c e l l e n c e . I n . A l l
. W e . D o
|
|
Content of this web site is not an
official publication of the United States Air Force Academy. Information
presented here does not represent the policies of the United States Air
Force or its associated organizations.
|
Website design by Sonia Ottusch
|
WebMaster:
soniaO
updated 10 Feb 2010
UPALAC copyright 2010
|
