USAF Academy Abbreviations and Terms
Ac Call—Academic Call-to-Quarters, mandatory study time
AMI—Any Morning Inspection, usually less formal than a SAMI
ASAP—As Soon As Possible
AOC—Air Officer Commanding
ATO—Air Training Officer
AWOL—Absent Without Leave
Blow—To rest, or to “kiss off”
Bomb—To do extremely poorly
BOR—Base Of the Ramp
Buy the Farm—To crash
Cadet Wing—The student body of USAFA cadets
Canoe U—A small, inconsequential school (Annapolis), which forms a suburb of the capital of Maryland with a campus partly on land and partly in the Severn River
CCQ—Cadet in Charge of Quarters
Clank—To freeze up; to royally goof-up
CDB—Commandant’s Disciplinary Board
CIC—Cadet In Charge
Comm—Commandant of Cadets, a brigadier (1-star) general
Commshop—Commandant’s office
CQ—used in place of CCQ
Crash—A landing in which the vertical velocity is so great and the time spent in reducing it to zero is so brief that the acceleration and hence the forces acting become so great as to result in structural failure
Cretin—That person ill-disposed at doing acts of nominal coordination or acts requiring minimal thought
DF—Dean of Faculty, a brigadier (1-star) general
Doolie—That insignificant whose rank is measured in negative units; one whose potential for learning is unlimited; one who will graduate in some time approaching infinity
FIGMO—Forget It, Got My Orders
Firstie—a First classman, a senior (cadets in their final year at the Academy)
Fourth classman—Freshman (first year cadet, known as a doolie)
FORM 10—Cadet administrative form for documenting infraction of regulations
FUBAR—“Messed” Up Beyond All Recognition
GIB—Guy in the back seat
Ground pounder—A non-flying officer
Hyper—An ultra-military cadet that is focused on military bearing
Hudson High—a small, inconsequential school (West Point) on the Hudson River distinguished by over 200 years of tradition unhampered by progress
IHTFP—“I Have Truly Found Paradise”; equivalently, “I Hate This Friggin’ Place”
Intramurder—Athletic competition between squadrons; violent intramural sports
IRI—In Ranks Inspections
Magic—That name applied to the department of Electrical Engineering and all related hand waving activities
MATS—Military Air Transport Service
NCOIC—Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge
Nino Baldacci—That individual having entered with the class of ’59 and remaining until the present time never having been off academic probation and never having taken a privilege. He is a perpetual turn-back near and dear to all cadets.
ODP—Off Duty Privilege
OIC—Officer-in-Charge
OTF—Over The Fence, AWOL
PDA—Public Display of Affection
PE—Physical Education
PFT—Physical Fitness Test
Post—An order signifying to a subordinate that their presence is no longer needed
Rack—Bed
Rock—That superhuman who is free from female entanglements
SAC—Strategic Air Command
SAMI—Saturday Morning Inspection
SAR—Squadron Assembly Room
SDO—Squadron Duty Officer
Second classman—Junior (third year cadet)
SOD—Senior Officer of the Day
Staff Tower—The location in the cadet dining hall (Mitchell Hall) where Wing Staff eats
Supt—USAFA Superintendent, a lieutenant (3-star) general
TAC—Tactical Air Command
TDY—Temporary Duty
Third classman—Sophomore (second year cadet)
Trash Hauler—Transport pilot
Truck Driver—the pilot of a non-fighter aircraft with more than one engine (bomber or transport)
Two!—A command to return the cadet to what he or she had been doing
UCMJ—Uniformed Code of Military Justice
Wing Staff—Cadre of senior cadet officers that lead the Cadet Wing
Zoomie—That term by which a cadet is commonly known by jealous, and usually inferior, civilians
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