The Columbus cheating scandal

[ClearedHot]

1/25/2005 - COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFPN) -- Air Force officials here are investigating alleged academic cheating here, they said Jan. 25.

The investigation involved 20 officers accused of cheating. Seven have been cleared of all allegations, and 13, including an instructor pilot and 12 student pilots, remain under investigation.

Officials said that under current procedures, an investigating officer is appointed to research the facts of the case. Based on the facts and legal advice, appropriate action is taken. The actions could range from no action, removal from pilot training, nonjudicial punishment, administrative discharge process or court-martial.

[Guest HueyPilot]

Uh oh, looks like the traditional method of surviving UPT via the gouge is gonna go away...at least for a while.

[Guest KoolKat]

I have faith that they will get to the bottom of it, and, morbidly can't wait to hear the whole story.

Personally, I have written up alot things to help out my classmates. This stuff too, will be passed along as "gouge." The gouge will NEVER die.

The individuals that have gotten themselves wrapped up in this little ditty, do not know the definition of the word gouge...We must all ask ourselves....do we?

[Guest gougedout]

25 Jan Columbus Commercial Dispatch

Officials probe alleged CAFB cheating incident

By Steve Rogers

Officials are investigating whether 12 student pilots at Columbus Air Force Base cheated on important exams last summer and fall and if an instructor pilot was involved, the Air Force confirmed today.

The investigation could be completed by the end of next month, CAFB officials said in a statement to The Dispatch.

Twenty officers originally were accused, but seven have been cleared of any wrongdoing, officials said. The officers remain at CAFB although they have been suspended from training procedures since early January, military and civilian sources said.

The pilots' names could not be confirmed today.

"Further information regarding the investigation is being withheld to protect the rights of the individuals involved," CAFB officials said in a statement.

Under current procedures, an investigating officer is appointed who researches the facts of the case. Based on the facts and legal advice, appropriate action is taken. The actions could range from no action, removal from pilot training, non-judicial punishment, administrative discharge process or court-martial.

"Details of the investigation and resulting actions taken will be released after all actions are completed and in accordance with applicable laws," the CAFB statement said.

The pilots allegedly cheated on weekly emergency procedures quizzes, commonly known as EPQs, during T-37 training last year. The pilots had moved on to either T-38 or T-1 training when the alleged cheating was discovered.

Some students who apparently didn't cheat and students in a new class allegedly revealed the incidents after they were confronted about possible cheating, civilian and military sources told The Dispatch.

Students take 17 EPQs during the T-37 training. The tests are designed to ensure students maintain "the highest level of proficiency in knowledge and application of emergency procedures," base officials said.

"These are things the students have to know on the flight line because in an emergency, there's nobody there to help them or to ask," said one Air Force official.

The tests consist of 20 questions with a passing score of 85 percent. Failure results in the pilot being grounded until the test is retaken.

The test scores are one of the criteria used to rank students. The scores make up 7.5 percent of a student's overall ranking.

While students can study hundreds of questions in preparation for the tests, the alleged cheating involved knowing the actual test questions and answers, military sources confirmed to The Dispatch.

"This is more than just studying hard and being prepared, this is knowing very specifically what was going to be on the tests and the answers," the source said, denying the incidents were indicative of a wider problem of cheating among trainees.

Among other things, the investigation is trying to determine whether the instructor pilot provided a student or students with the specific tests and answers and how other students obtained the tests. The instructor had moved on to the Air Force's fighter-pilot training at Moody Air Force Base at Valdosta, Ga., but has since been returned to CAFB.

The instructor could face court-martial if implicated for his role, military sources said.

The investigation puts CAFB in the lead of a broader new Air Force attitude toward cheating of any kind. In early December, during a visit by 30 area residents as part of an Air Force Civic Leaders Tour, Brig. Gen. Johnny A. Weida,, head of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., outlined the new approach, saying the Academy and the remainder of the Air Force no longer would tolerate any actions that would tarnish its integrity.

[ 25. January 2005, 17:45: Message edited by: gougedout ]

[Guest KoolKat]

"This is more than just studying hard and being prepared, this is knowing very specifically what was going to be on the tests and the answers," the source said, denying the incidents were indicative of a wider problem of cheating among trainees.

Speaks Volumes...

[Guest waxgoblin]

whats the gouge?

[Guest lovelacm]

You gotta think:

• Something pretty bad / big must have happened to turn these folks onto a class that's "cheating" on an EPQ.
  
• Who doesn't know of an IP that helped out the class when it came to EPQ knowledge?
  

Why would they turn this into such a witch-hunt instead of taking care of it at the very lowest level possible? Good Lord!

whats (sic) the gouge

Wax - Do a quick search of the board... I remember a recent thread on that very topic.

[Mambo]

Brig. Gen. Johnny A. Weida,, head of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., outlined the new approach, saying the Academy and the remainder of the Air Force no longer would tolerate any actions that would tarnish its integrity.[/QB]

...You mean like the top lawyer in the Air Force committing the same crimes that he kicked people out for, then doesn't get any punishment other than a reduction in his retirement paygrade...Yeah, that doesn't tarnish AF integrity! Not like a couple of studs memorizing answers to a test, wow...now that is a black eye for the AF...

[Guest blkafnav]

Lovelacm,

If you were here you would know what the big deal is. The students couldn't get it through their big heads that gouge and help from IP's is acceptable . These idiots had no kidding test (ie EPQ 1, EPQ 2, etc). No matter what kind of school or training you're in, it is still cheating.

[Skitzo]

The problem is the culture, when I started IPs told stories about the "table of knowledge" during their experience in pilot training.

Kind of hard for someone to say cheating isn't right when its been the norm for quite some time. Especially when the person saying cheating isn't right quite possibly could have AT LEAST been privy to this sort of spurious behavior when he/she was in pilot training.

[Guest HueyPilot]

These idiots had no kidding test (ie EPQ 1, EPQ 2, etc).

Considering the current environment...

I will neither confirm nor deny that such a practice was ever ongoing throughout UPT and FTU squadrons.

I will say that the level of "gouge" available varied widely. And considering how "gouge" (a term I'm using to encompass ALL study material, regardless of its source) has been a fixture of military pilot training for many years, I wonder if the people who made this into an issue ever attended pilot training of any kind.

In any case, those of you in the pipeline (UPT or FTU), I'd be very careful in the meantime. The USAF has a tendency to overreact in cases like this, and witch hunts ensue. Be cautious and ensure any gouge you may have won't be construed as "cheating material"...apparently it doesn't matter whether you received it from an official source (ie IP, flight commander, etc) or not. Sounds like someone's out to shoot some folks.

[Guest Shermanator]

blkafnav is right

this is not about "gouge". This is not about IP's rewording poorly written test questions. Or Master question files. These people had the actual test. Not the old test, but the no joke secure test. Some students believe that cheating is refering to test questions that students have compiled over the years. The AF is smart enough to know that students are most likely have the answers to over half the questions on most tests. Why? Because the same questions are being asked. There is only so many ways to word Ops limits or EPs etc. Master question files have been used by every unit and pilot for the past 30 years. Gouge will always be around, and the use of it by students, pilots, and officers will not go away. It is a time saving practical method to studing. Just like Cliff Notes.

[Guest tentoad]

Wow

Times sure have changed in the 15 years since I went to UPT. Internet gouge, etc. I have found that all gouge for a course normally exceeds the actual reading material by an order of magnitude. At least that has been the case with PME.

However to use the actual test is insanity. If 20 folks are involved then 100 know you have it- You are going to get busted. They most likely all got 100% on the tests thinking that it wouldnt attract attention.

Fortunately, I feel safe in the knowledge that my scores on testing UPT were so bad that any suspicion of cheating would be discarded easily.

:)

Tentoad

[Guest Shortbus]

It's just too bad that these guys might have ruined their careers. If they made it through tweets, like it sounds like they did, than they had pretty much made it through the program. (very unlikely they would lose more than 1 or 2 after that point). The sad part is that the EPQ will not make or break you. If they made it that far in the program they deserved to be there. How many AF pilots can honestly say they didn't look at some gouge that they wouldn't necessarily want to bring into the flight room and show to their flt commander. I realize that "supposedly" they had them in their socks and whatnot and if that is true, that is pretty stupid. I was yelled at during the first 15 days because I didn't have the shotgun question gouge. I was up until 1 am, memorizing notes, warnings, and cautions verbatem. And on top of that writing out the 6 boldfaces a night because my class just couldn't get it right, and trying to read all of the assigned reading material so I could answer the shotgun questions. I didn't know there was gouge for the shotgun questions until about the 10th day on the flightline. Everybody just assumed I had it, and I guess they thought I was just stupid or something. (which I am) Anyway it was the instructors that asked me if I had the gouge. When I said no, they said "well I guess you better get it." It is hard to differenciate between cheating and learning what is really important to make it through the program. People have been helping out their brothers by passing on the info for a long time. It's just too bad that someone has to come along now and make a name for themselves. Wrong place at the wrong time. Also I am sure that some little dipshit needs to be shot for openening his mouth about this whole thing. It should have been handeled at a lower level.

[Ram]

In my experience, gouge has a secondary purpose: to teach you HOW to study. By reading the source documents AND the gouge as a Tweet/Texan stud, you effectively learn how to retain the "important" information from the source document. If anyone tried to memorize a dash-1 from cover to cover, they'd go blind long before they got it right.

As a Tweet stud, I used gouge to help me figure out how to study. When I hit 38s, there was little gouge (if any), but, since I learned what to study first, what to memorize, what to know how to apply, etc from Tweets, I was able to get it done.

Knowing WHAT and HOW to study is a lesson we pilots must all learn in UPT. I can see gouge as a useful tool (sts) to that end.

[ 26. January 2005, 00:35: Message edited by: Fury220 ]

[Guest NoseArtGal]

Thank God somebody brought up the top lawyer... I was waiting for that. But surely if we knew more we'd understand that it was fair for the top legal guy to whore around while kicking out guys that did the same.

But on a serious note, it's a good thing we crack down on gouge in pilot training. In my career, all the guys that used gouge have proven themselves to be the absolute worst pilots. If a guy has a hard landing, a term commonly heard is "he's one of the gouge users." Dudes that get FEBd...often times "gouge use" is cited as the main contributing factor. The guys that are kicking ass and taking names overseas...none of them used gouge. The "gouge users" had to stay home while the gougeless fought the war. These despicable cheating gouge users are a minority in the operational flying world and they're giving us all a bad name.

Nonsense. Gouge (especially that given by instructors) teaches teamwork and instills a "do what you have to in order to get the job done" attitude which, when tempered with experience and regard for safety, is a good thing. And when your IP helps you out he forges a bond that says "you're almost there and you'll be one of us." That's a motivational thing and it makes you want to work harder, in my opinion. And you can have gouge tattooed on your ass cheeks and it won't help you if you can't fly the damn jet. Gouge or no gouge, if you can't fly and make decisions and think ahead...you won't make it as a military pilot.

Gouge and IP "help" that is isolated to a few is cheating. Gouge and the instilling of teamwork and helping your buddy is not cheating. It's a damn good introduction on being a military pilot. Be creative, cheat, bend the rules, and flat out break them...do whatever you need to do to ensure the job gets done and you/your crew get home alive. If we had a culture of "black and white rule followers" then we wouldn't get anything done in combat.

Gouge is part of the culture. And I think the culture is doing pretty damn good.

[Toro]

Excellent post, Nose Art Gal.

Guys are getting pretty wrapped around the axel with the term gouge. As only a couple people on this thread realize (blkafnav, Shermanator), this isn't about gouge. While there isn't much in that initial AFPN article, it tells you a good deal; 19 students accused, seven cleared of all wrong doing and one instructor was involved.

If only one instructor is facing charges for this, it would seem that he went beyond any normal methods of distributing 'gouge' to students. It also ought to tell you that while numerous students were thought to have been involved, quite a few kept their noses clean and were subsequently cleared.

There is more to this story. Just wait until the whole thing comes out and it hits the Air Force Times. I don't expect it will be long.

[Guest Pilot135]

I can't see where Noseartgal is going with this. Are you saying that any pilot who used gouge is a bad pilot or never even made it?

"all the guys that used gouge have proven themselves to be the absolute worst pilots. If a guy has a hard landing, a term commonly heard is "he's one of the gouge users." Dudes that get FEBd...often times "gouge use" is cited as the main contributing factor. The guys that are kicking ass and taking names overseas...none of them used gouge."

I disagree. Like most others have said, everyone used it, and if you DIDN'T you usually didn’t make it through. There was just no way to memorize all you needed to in the few hours you had a night otherwise.

I think in this case there was above and beyond use of gouge, or some IP making the tests "corrected to a passing score". There was probably also someone talking about it to the wrong person who told the press. Then again, it might not be as big a deal as everyone is making it sound and once the press gets involved, the AF has to make a show and some heads are sure to roll even though they might not deserve it.

[Guest JArcher00]

"Live by the gouge, die by the gouge". Remember that saying.

[pcola]

Originally posted by ALTRV:

I can't see where Noseartgal is going with this. Are you saying that any pilot who used gouge is a bad pilot or never even made it?

Umm, did you not read his very next paragraph? If you didn't get the sarcasm while reading the paragraph that you quoted, the very first word in the next one should have tipped you off. I believe it was "nonsense."

[Guest AirGuardian]

Here's what still cracks me up! We had a "cheating scandal" going on during my adventure at UPT at CBM - interesting... Anyway, some classes also had the exact EPQ answers and we didn't of course. During the investigation the board came to every Flight Commander to review records and whatnot. Upon reaching our valiant "Mitchell Flight" the investigator asked the flight CC - Do you think your guys/gals are cheating... Our Flt CC promptly replied holding up the overall average EPQ scores for our class in hand = 71% on the first time around testing principle... "Our guys are obviously too stupid to know how to cheat and I wish they would..."

Enuff said - What a proud or unproud SRO I was....

[Guest rangerbob5]

The first few days on the flight line in UPT are morally ambiguous, and I can see how some overzealous do-gooder might have taken the lid off the proverbial shit can.

Some people can't handle shades of grey.

Someone I know wouldn't even be a pilot today if he didn't cheat on his 5 day blood pressure check in ROTC.

[Guest repo]

How I love the air force. I guess since we cut down on sexual harassment at the academy and strippers at Luke, somebody needed a new scandal. Three things will be for sure: someone will be a scapegoat, someone will save their promotion to General, and the rest of us will get to feel the arse-pain for all of it. Like the AF saying goes, "When someone craps their pants, the next day everyone is wearing diapers."

[ViperStud]

Two things about this situation piss me off. First, these studs are taking the fall for doing something that they, at best, got mixed signals on. I mean if an IP gave them the test, combined with the culture which is alive an well (awesome post noseartgal) is it really fair to screw their careers over it? I'm not going to say I saw anyone steal an EPQ, but I remember "stories" of the SELO getting up to take a leak and making sure some of the questions were visible. If everyone did not know at least those Q's on the test, their bros had failed them. If there was no foul play on the studs' parts, should they really get the boot?

Second, what about the other studs who sold their bros out. I went through Sheppard so maybe I am a bit naive, but is it really that cutthroat at the other UPT bases. We were never looking for opportunities to backstab each other and I dont want that kind of dude in my formation...

[Guest HueyPilot]

I've heard of situations where instructors have left the room while a test was in progress and then told the students to grade it on their own.

As for outside UPT...there are annual closed-book qual tests, and everyone has the Master Question File for their respective MWS. To me, there isn't any real difference between having "the actual test" and having the MQF...the MQF IS the test.

[ 26. January 2005, 19:45: Message edited by: HueyPilot ]