Holding over 60 records for speed and payload, the B1 bomber has a wingspan of 137 feet and is 146 feet long. It can fly at over 900 miles an hour and takes a crew of four.
Soaring with the best:
Pimm aims for flight school - and the B1
The future of one Bloomsburg University student is taking off -- literally.
Gregory Pimm, a junior from Harveys Lake and a graduate of Lake Lehman High School, is soaring among the cadet ranks of Air Force ROTC training as he works toward a goal of becoming a military pilot.
The son of John and Joye Pimm, he's about to attend a prestigious leadership symposium at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and later will return to Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama as a cadet training assistant . Both opportunities don't come lightly. The symposium offer was made to just two cadets in the northeastern United States (the other recipient is Cadet Melissa Fedyschyn from Boston University) and he was handpicked last year to attend the four-week training program in Alabama. There he so impressed the leadership team that they invited him to come back this May to help train newcomers.
But Pimm doesn't dream of being just any pilot. His goal is to fly B-1 bombers or F-22 fighter jets. He explains that it's a matter of speed. Both are supersonic aircraft and the prospect of that kind of speed is tantalizing. Asked if he has a touch of "Top Gun" syndrome, he laughs and says not at all, describing himself as a very reserved kind of person. As an Eagle Scout, however, he began focusing on leadership opportunities, and says that while Bloomsburg was a bit on the large size for him it nevertheless presented a lot of networking and new perspectives.
He's also a serious player at Bloomsburg, with dual majors in secondary education and history and a minor in aerospace studies. The last two relate directly to his interest in aviation, and he sees the education degree as the path to teach after retirement from the Air Force.
Pimm explains that should he be admitted to flight school, the government investment in training is so expensive that he'll have to agree to serve at least 10 years. After all, flying a $383 million aircraft at 900 miles an hour that can deliver nuclear weapons anywhere in the world and return nonstop is not a simple thing. But he plans to serve for 20 years, so that's not a hardship. And if he doesn't get a seat in flight school? Then he'll pursue training in the tactical area of aviation support, which continues something of a family tradition.
His eldest brother, Eric, was an Army sergeant who worked as an Apache helicopter crew chief, including two tours in Iraq, and his other brother, Jeff is a Navy airman and aviation boatswains mate who launches and recovers aircraft from the USS Enterprise.
Pimm's path began with a football scholarship, first at Lebanon Valley College and then Bloomsburg as a fullback. Sidelined with an injury, he recognized that if he pushed his luck on the field he might lose his opportunity with the Air Force. So he gave up the game and plunged into studies, earning a spot on the Dean's List and serving with as a representative on the Community Government Association. He received a full Air Force scholarship for his academic achievements and pays the balance of his bills through several part-time jobs.
But Air Force ROTC remains his passion, and he's one of the flight commanders for AFROTC Detachment 752 and was recognized as a top cadet while serving as physical fitness officer during field training. Commandant of Cadets Capt. Greg Marsh says "he's a tremendous resource for our team. He appreciates hard work and can accomplish anything he sets his mind to."
And that includes the cockpit of the B-1 bomber, one of the most advanced military aircraft of all.