2ND LT. MICHAEL T. OSGOOD of Easton

2ND LT. MICHAEL T. OSGOOD of Easton graduated from the Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Dec. 18, 2009, at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla. where he received his silver pilot wings. Osgood graduated from Easton High School in 2004 and the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2008. Ironically, his brother, Matthew, graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2005 and from the Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training in 2007. Pictured at Michael’s recent graduation ceremony are, from left: mother, Ann; Capt. Matthew T. Osgood, 2nd Lt. Michael T. Osgood, and father, Tom.
Staff Writer
EASTON – Though it came a week early, 2nd Lt. Michael T. Osgood of Easton received a memorable Christmas present this year … his silver pilot wings. Osgood graduated from the Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Dec. 18 at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla.
“There were 22 of us who graduated,” said Osgood. “The program was great. I had a good time; it was definitely a lot of work, but well worth it in the end.”
A 2004 graduate of Easton High School and 2008 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Osgood said the pilot program consisted of 55 weeks’ of intense training.
“I graduated with about 250 flying hours, and then we had classes every day,” he said.
Training consists of several hundred hours of academics and two weeks in simulators before students are moved into the T-6, which is the initial training aircraft. Once training is completed, students track into the T-38 aircraft, which are the fighter planes or the T-1, which are for tankers and transport.
“I never really wanted to fly fighter planes and the other stuff didn’t appeal to me, so I went with the T-1 track,” said Osgood. “My goal has always been to fly C-17s so I took the track that would lead me to that goal.”
The C-17 Globemaster III is the newest, most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area.
The C-17 made its maiden flight Sept. 15, 1991, and the first production model was delivered to Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., June 14, 1993. The plane measures 174 feet long with a wingspan of 169 feet, 10 inches. The aircraft is powered by four, fully reversible, Federal Aviation Administration certified F117-PW-100 engines (the military designation for the commercial Pratt & Whitney PW2040), currently used on the Boeing 757.
The 23-year-old just completed parachute and water survival school in Pensacola, Fla.
“The water was about 42 degrees,” Osgood said. “It was a week-long training to prepare you to eject or bail out over the water.
“Now I’m getting ready to head down to Altus Air Force Base which is about three and-a-half hours south of here. I’ll be there for three and-a-half months learning how to fly C-17s,” he said. “After that I’ll head to Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington State to attend Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) Specialist Training/POW School. I’ll be done all my training June 28, and will then be stationed at Charleston Air Force Base in Charleston, S.C.”
Osgood’s wife, Anna (Delong) of Presque Isle, is looking forward to the move.
“We’ve moved three times in two years,” he said, “so it will be nice to be stable for a while. She’s been very supportive throughout the whole process.”
Osgood will see another familiar face in South Carolina. His brother, Capt. Matthew T. Osgood, is a fellow pilot and C-17 Aircraft Commander at the base.
“It will be nice. We won’t be able to necessarily fly in the same plane together, but we could fly in the same formation and fly on the same missions,” said Osgood. “We’ll be in the same squadron, so we’d likely deploy together for four months at a time. It will be nice to have each other to lean on, plus our wives will be able to help take care of each other.
“We were very close growing up,” he said. “It will be nice to spend time with him again. Since high school, we’ve only been together for about a year, but I was a freshman at the U.S. Air Force Academy when he was a senior, so I didn’t really see him all that often.”
Capt. Matthew T. Osgood, 26, graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2005 and from the Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma in 2007.
The Osgoods’ father, Tom, a 1978 graduate of West Point, was told by two Air Force colonels at Michael’s pilot school graduation ceremonies that it’s “extremely rare” to have two brothers graduate from the Air Force Academy, graduate from the same pilot school, fly the same planes at the same base in the same squadron.
“It’s gratifying knowing that both sons stuck with it,” said Tom. “The Academy was very difficult and pilot training was even more difficult. I’m glad they persevered and got what they wanted out of it.”
Michael’s mother, Ann, is a longtime instructor at Northern Maine Community College.
“Godly and family values give children roots; then they are secure enough to pursue their dreams,” she said.
“We tried to instill the fact that our children needed to be “well rounded”; i.e. participate and work hard in academics, athletics, music, church, or whatever activity interested them,” said Tom. “We feel that this approach has been validated by the children’s successes to date; in point of fact, the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy told us that he needed ‘well rounded’ cadets because that’s what today’s Air Force multi-mission requirement demands.
“Both Michael and Matthew graduated from Easton High School so it doesn’t matter how small a school you come from … anybody can do anything they want if they work hard enough,” he said.
Michael agreed.
“There were people I graduated with whose schools were bigger than our town,” he said, “but I like coming from a small school. At Easton, I was able to do different sports and be in different clubs. Going to a small school enabled me to do that. I’m happy to be a graduate of Easton High School.”
The Osgoods’ sister, Michelle, is a junior at Husson University and is taking a double major in biology and chemistry. After graduation she plans on going to medical school to become an OB/GYN doctor. The Osgoods are the grandchildren of Floyd and Reta Flewelling and Fred Osgood, all of Easton.
Michael Osgood said he’s looking at putting in 12 years as a military pilot and will then assess his future career plans.
“If you stay in the military for 20 years you can retire and get pretty good benefits, so that’s something I may decide to do,” he said.
Osgood also received his civilian commercial pilot’s license while at pilot training.

BAND OF BROTHERS – Capt. Matthew T. Osgood, left, and 2nd Lt. Michael T. Osgood, both of Easton, are graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla. Michael graduated from pilot training Dec. 18, 2009, and received his silver pilot wings. He will now travel to Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma to learn how to fly C-17s, and will then head to Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington State to attend Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) Specialist Training/POW School. Once his training is completed in June, he will be stationed at Charleston Air Force Base in Charleston, S.C. where he will fly the same planes at the same base in the same squadron as his brother, Matthew.