Vance T-1 instructor pilot wins award

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Lynn Aird
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Capt. Brian Shull, an instructor in the T-1 flight of the 5th Flying Training Squadron here, was recently selected as the "2008 Outstanding Student Pilot of the Year" by the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. 

The award was presented on behalf of the Texas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and recognizes the best Pilot Instructor Training student of the year for all airframes. There are a number of considerations in the selection process for this award, including academics, flying scores, checkride scores and community involvement. 

A native of Tebbetts, Mo., Captain Shull is a graduate of University of Central Missouri (formerly Central Missouri State University) located in Warrensburg, Mo. He attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance and graduated July 26, 2002. He completed his time at PIT February 2008, and has been flying with the 5th FTS for ten months. 

Although he was very successful during his time at PIT, Captain Shull faced and overcame many challenges while at Randolph. The most prominent challenges, he explained, had little to do with flying. 

"The biggest obstacle was juggling training at Randolph with family issues," he said.  "When my family and I moved down there my youngest son, who was four months old at the time, had been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy." CP is an encompassing group of non-progressive, non-contagious conditions that cause physical disability in human development. "We had different doctors' appointments and had to deal with them re-diagnosing different problems with my son." 

Despite these difficulties Captain Shull was able to rely on his other family members, his wife in particular. 

"She was the backbone for the family and for me," said Captain Shull. "She made sure everything was taken care of and allowed me to focus on training." 

Captain Shull described his experience at PIT as having an enlightening effect on him. 

"One of the biggest things I found there, or in the flying world in general, is that no matter who you fly with, you learn something new. It could be good procedural techniques, or something as simple as personality traits," he explained. "What I really took away from PIT was how I do and do not want to act as an instructor." 

Captain Shull wants to be an instructor that students feel completely comfortable with. 

"I feel there's no room for sarcasm and belligerence. It's not the job of the instructor to add more stress--students do enough to themselves as it is. I'd rather have a student feel like he can ask me anything, and know that I won't embarrass him if he messes up."