By Capt. Tom Block (ExpressJet, Ret.)
Aviation Cadets
My first flight took place on Monday, August 4, 1957. I was 20 years old and it was the first time I had ever set foot in an aircraft. But, let me start at the beginning.
I had completed two years at the University of Minnesota, was climbing telephone poles for Northwest Bell, and living with my folks in St. Paul. A friend who knew I built model airplanes told me about this USAF flying program called Aviation Cadets. He mentioned I would take an exam at the St. Paul recruiting center and if I passed, then a tougher exam in Minneapolis followed by a three-day comprehensive physical at Offutt AFB near Omaha, NE. Yes, the government would arrange commercial transportation for me.
I had no clue I would ever be accepted but I was willing to undergo the poking and prodding and eyes dilated for the chance for a trip on an airplane. It was a NWA Boeing Stratocruiser from MSP to OMA and I loved it. About a month later, I came home from work and my mother told me that an official looking letter had arrived. It read, "Dear Mr. Block, Congratulations, you have been selected for Air Force pilot training with a reporting date of March 3, 1958."
I spent more than 20 years in the Air Force and flew a variety of different aircraft including the F-102, the B-58 Hustler, and the U-2 blackbird. After retirement I flew for Bar Harbor Airlines and eventually Continental Express Airlines where I retired again as an E145 instructor. But it all started out as a passenger on NWA.
The author in a pressure suit.