LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- First Lt. Jason Dark, 87th Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, was chosen by wing leadership to be this week’s “XLer”, Oct. 11.
The “XLer,” a wing-level award program sponsored by Col. Charles Velino, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, and presented by Col. Michelle Pryor, 47th FTW vice commander, is awarded to those who consistently make outstanding contributions to their unit and Laughlin’s mission.
Dark was the lead coordinator of multiple funeral flyovers for previous Team XL members.
“These particular flyovers were even more meaningful because of the feedback we received from the families and funeral directors,” Dark said. “To hear from them that we had such an impact on those present to honor their service is very humbling.”
During the staging process for one of the military funerals, he also prevented an in-flight emergency, saving lives and the estimated value of a T-38 Talon II when the landing gear in his aircraft failed to extend correctly while preparing to land.
“This is a fairly minor emergency for us in normal situations,” Dark said, “However this instance was complicated by being in formation with another aircraft and by being off-station away from all of the support that we're accustomed to having at Laughlin when we have to declare an emergency.”
Dark, who is also the squadron navigation officer, stands out by exceeding in his task of arranging approximately 70 instructors and 80 students’ schedules in the midst of ever-changing weather, mission requirements, instructor and student pilot availability and local and Air Force-wide directives and guidance. His management role is the Squadron Navigation Officer.
“Additionally I maintain all of the local mission planning files, and assist with the creation of specific off-station mission files as well,” said Dark, native of Missoula, Mont. “I also create and maintain low level chart imagery that we utilize during low level environment training sorties, maintaining them up to date to reflect air-fields, towers, and other threats that are unique to the low level environment and keep the entire squadron safe while flying low levels.”