The U.S. Air Force unveiled its newest aircraft today by flying them over the Air Force Academy, where they will be used to train a future generation of pilots and serve as the basis for a new aerial demonstration team. The goal is to give cadets a chance to experience high g-force flying while also providing a new recruiting tool to boost the flagging ranks of Air Force pilots.
Dubbed the T-19A Kestrel, the aircraft are two-seat, single-engine GB1 Gamebird all-carbon-fiber aerial performance planes. They were made by Game Aerospace Composites, a Bentonville, Arkansas, company that describes these planes as “the ultimate aerobatic aircraft for pilots seeking an exhilarating flying experience.”
The Air Force has received four of these planes.
The flight over the Cadet Wing’s noon meal formation “marks the formal arrival of the Academy’s first powered aerobatic aircraft, which recently completed its final military certification flights,” the Air Force noted in a release Thursday afternoon.
The T-19As “will enhance the Academy’s elite airmanship program,” the Air Force added. “By partnering with world-class civilian aerobatic pilots and curriculum developers, the Academy aims to field a nationally competitive aerobatic and demonstration team.”
The Air Force’s top general called the T-19A program “historic.”
“Going from an idea to four aircraft built and delivered in 10 months is unprecedented and a testament to the vision, dedication, and teamwork of everyone who made this possible,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach. “These aircraft will give cadets an opportunity to further develop their airmanship and will ultimately establish a competitive flying team to inspire future Airmen.”
The T-19A “enables cadets to build more flight time and aerobatic aviation experience prior to entering the Air Force or Undergraduate Pilot Training,” the general added.
“From inception to delivery, these aircraft reflect the speed and innovation that strengthens the Department of the Air Force,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. “As the Kestrel program matures at USAFA, cadets will eventually take on a greater role in training and demonstrations — better preparing them for active-duty pilot training after graduation.”
The program’s long-term goal is to “build a premier capability that evolves to include greater cadet involvement in training, demonstrations and program operations,” the Air Force further explained.
You can see this type of aircraft in action in the following video of GB1 Gamebirds flying and being built.
The GB1
Unlike other new aircraft the Air Force has fielded, such as the T-7A Red Hawk jet trainer, the T-19As did not require a lengthy, expensive development and procurement process. They were delivered in under a year and paid for through “a gift from corporate and civilian donations and the Air Force,” an Air Force official told us.
“The acquisition of the four T-19A aircraft was made possible entirely through these donations, requiring no initial procurement funding from the Air Force,” the official added. “The gift is worth $3 million.”
The Air Force “invested approximately $400,000 to supplement the gift of initial spares, and the procurement of necessary support equipment and aircrew flight equipment for the initial cadre and future cadets,” the official noted.
Funding for operations and maintenance “will be programmed through standard Air Force budget processes,” the official explained. “The annual amount to sustain the aircraft is just over $1 million and will be funded through the weapon system sustainment accounts. The annual costs will cover operations and support to manage/sustain the T-19A fleet, and temporary duty travel to national collegiate aerobatic competitions.”
“The arrival of the T-19A marks an exciting new chapter in airmanship training here at the Academy,” said Lt. Gen. Paul D. Moga, Academy superintendent. “This aircraft will provide an opportunity to train our cadets in ways that were previously not possible. We will strengthen their aviation skills and develop the confidence, discipline and leadership required of future Air Force officers.”
The T-19A is fully cleared for Academy operations, Moga added. The superintendent “selected six active-duty military pilots from the Academy staff and its 306th Flying Training Group to serve as the initial cadre responsible for developing and executing an aerobatic training curriculum,” according to the service. “They will methodically and deliberately integrate the aircraft into the institution’s airmanship program, ultimately establishing a national demonstration and competition team.”
Initially, the active-duty pilots will serve as the primary pilots for the demonstration team, where they will perform at “high-profile recruiting events and air shows nationwide,” the service stated. “In the future, the team will manage a competitive division, participating in International Aerobatic Club and equivalent competitions.”
As noted earlier in this story, all this is taking place as the Air Force is having a hard time finding and keeping pilots.
In Fiscal Year 2024, “the then-Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force General James C. Slife stated that USAF was 1,900 pilots short of the 19,136 pilots that the service identified as needed for global requirements,” according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report released in September. “USAF has a goal of producing approximately 1,500 pilots annually through the Undergraduate Pilot Training program. A House Armed Services Committee report (H.Rept. 119-231) accompanying the committee-reported version of an FY2026 NDAA (H.R. 3838) noted that the service had not met the target.”
The T-19A earned the Kestrel moniker thanks to a group of cadets who came together to recommend the name.
They chose it “because kestrels are falcons known for their agility, acceleration, razor-sharp vision and ability to strike with precision — all traits the aircraft will bring to the Academy’s flight programs,” the Air Force touted.
All T-19A operations will be based out of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Davis Airfield. “Because safety is the foundational block of the program, operations will utilize a robust Safety Management System tailored specifically for low-altitude, high-performance aerobatics,” according to the Air Force. “All flight and ground operations will follow the more restrictive requirements of Federal Aviation Administration regulations and/or U.S. Air Force safety instructions.”
We asked the Air Force when the cadets will begin training and when the new Kestrel demonstration team will start flying. There are plenty of folks at the Academy waiting to find out the answers to both of those questions.
Contact the author: howard@twz.com
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