First-class yearU.S. Air Force Academy · Firstie (senior)

Milestones

100s Night, the Air Garden fountain jump after final exams, and Graduation Week at Falcon Stadium¹.

Summer and duties

Firsties "take on command roles as Cadet Wing leadership, holding key positions within Basic Cadet Training, Combat Survival Training, and other underclass summer training programs," and serve as cadet officers during the year¹².

Privileges

No passes required, plus 1 Weekday Overnight Pass a week. They may display 15 room items, and televisions may be authorized³. Cadets 21 and older may drink alcohol under Academy rules, but never in the dorms³. We found no official page on car rules by class year.

Career selection (AFSC)

Firsties submit their top 3 rated jobs and top 3 non-rated jobs. "Sometime between September and December," they learn their Air Force Specialty Code at a squadron Job Drop¹.

When it becomes binding: At the start of second-class year. Cadets who leave after the first day of fall classes owe 2 years of active duty as second-class cadets and 3 as first-class cadets⁴. This is marked by the Commitment Dinner⁵.

After graduation: Air Force or Space Force second lieutenant⁴. Minimum obligation: 8 years total, at least 5 active. Pilots currently serve 10 years after training⁴.

Cadets get leave over Thanksgiving, about two and a half weeks for winter break, and a one-week spring break. Most cadets in the upper three classes get about three weeks of summer leave³.