Like any rite of passage, becoming a pilot has many components.

There are some things - such as flying solo - that every pilot in training does but not necessarily at the same time. Then there are other things - such as breaking of the wings and getting dunked after the first solo flight - that everyone does at the same time during pilot training.  These traditions are part of the procession that takes a pilot in training to pilot.

On a recent afternoon, 1st Lt. Eddie Wyant, a pilot with the 4th Airlift Squadron at McChord Field, explained some of the traditions.

Wyant, who had always been interested in becoming an Air Force pilot for a long-term career, started Officer Training School in 2006 shortly after his graduation from California State University, Chico.

"I wanted to be a pilot for a lot of reasons ... I wanted to travel, and I liked the idea of having a challenging job," said Wyant, who became a pilot two years ago.

A typical day leading up to his becoming a pilot started at about 7 a.m. and went until about 5 p.m.  His days were filled with weather briefings, general knowledge question and answer sessions, and stand-up sessions during which he and the other pilot trainees would stand in front of their classmates and talk their way through emergency scenarios.  After that, some days Wyant would study and do research about his airplane, and other days he would fly.

Although every flight during training is important, perhaps the most memorable flight for a student is the first solo flight.  The flight is important because the student is entrusted with a multi-million dollar airplane but also for the tradition that occurs after the flight, Wyant said.

Tradition says that when a student flies a jet solo for the first time his classmates throw him in a dunk tank of water.  Typically the students accept the dunking with honor.

"For four to five months you fly with an instructor," Wyant said.  "Then one day you get to go up and land on your own.  After your first solo flight, your classmates wait on the ground for you to return.  Then a group of about ten of them catch you and throw you into a dunk tank.  Everyone flies solo, and everyone gets dunked."

Another tradition occurs upon completion of undergraduate pilot training, or UPT. Started decades ago by the Army Air Corps, the tradition is intended to counter the risk that pilots take every time they fly.  Called "Breaking of the Wings," this tradition occurs at the UPT graduation, during which the Air Force issues pilots their first pair of wings.  The pilot is then instructed to break the wings in half and give one half to a wife, significant other or family member for safekeeping, Wyant said.   

"As tradition has it, that first pair of wings should never be worn by the pilot," said Wyant, who gave his other half to his mother. "To preserve the pilot's good luck, the two halves should never be brought together while the pilot is still alive.  Upon the pilot's death, the two halves are reunited for good luck for the pilot in the next life."