COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 14th Operations Group hosted two effective coaching guest speakers on December 3, 2024, at the Columbus Event Center on Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.
Harrison Bernstein, founder of the non-profit organization Soldiers to Sidelines, and U.S. Air Force retired Maj. Mike Kazlausky, United States Air Force Academy baseball head coach, spoke to over 350 CAFB personnel about incorporating advanced coaching methodologies to enhance the quality of training received by student pilots and boost retention rates resulting in an increased number of mission-ready aviators.
“The goal of this is to take the skills and strategies that sports coaches use to inspire and motivate their players to achieve great things and apply that to the leadership and instruction of the instructor pilots here on base so they can continue to produce world class pilots,” said Bernstein.
Lt. Col. Nicole Jansen, 50th Flying Training Squadron commander, described her vision for instructor pilots to learn effective coaching strategies as an instrumental skill set to curtail student attrition rates and evolve pilot training. The coach-athlete mentality encourages instructor pilots to find new innovative ways to inspire and motivate students when progressing through the Undergraduate Pilot Training program.
The workshop highlighted a motivational technique referred to as the inverted pyramid of coaching. The largest level of the pyramid, the base, is the most important and represents inspiration. The next level is motivation followed by fitness, interpersonal communication technique and strategy.
The Soldiers to Sidelines program has certified over 1,800 coaches across eight varied sporting fields and comprises of 38% veteran and 27% active-duty coaches who positively represent the Armed Forces throughout communities nationwide.
In 2023 CAFB produced more than 354 UPT, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals and International graduates as the third largest pilot training installation in the United States Air Force.