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Free Traveling Guides » States » Colorado » Greater ColoradoUS Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is situated north of Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is an educational institution that awards the Bachelor of Science degree to the officers of the United States Air Force. After completing the four year undergraduate program, the graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the USAF. In order to gain admission to the Academy, candidates are required to undergo a thorough medical examination, qualify a fitness test, and secure a nomination from a candidate’s member of Congress. The program at the Academy is based on academics, military training, athletics, and character development. The core curriculum includes humanities, engineering, basic sciences, military studies, social sciences, and physical education.
This Academy is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Colorado and it attracts millions of tourists every year. It has also been designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Academy’s campus, located to the east of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains, encompasses an area of 18,000 acres (73 sq-km) at an elevation of 7,258 ft (2212 m) above the sea level. The entire Academy was designed by the famous architect, Walter Netsch. Aluminum has been extensively used on the building exteriors in the Cadet Area, suggestive of the outer skin of aircraft and some spacecraft. The walkways are made using terrazzo tiles, which are set among a checkerboard of marble strips. The Terrazzo, designed by Dan Kiley, is a large, square pavilion, around which all the beautiful buildings in the Cadet Area are constructed. The major tourist attraction in the Cadet Area is the “Air Gardens”, which encompasses a 700 ft (213.36 m) long space with maze-like walkways, lowered grass sections, and ordered array of lighted pools. The most popular building in the Cadet Area is the 17-spired Cadet Chapel. This building is considered one of the most wonderful examples of modern American academic architecture.
Other main buildings in this area include the Vandenberg Hall, Sijan Hall, the Fairchild Hall, the Aeronautics Research Center, the Consolidated Education and Training Facility (CETF), the Mitchell Hall, the Arnold Hall, Harmon Hall, Cadet Gymnasium, Clune Arena, and the Falcon Stadium. Another attraction in the Cadet Area is the War Memorial and the Class Wall. The former is a black marble wall on which are engraved the names of the Academy graduates who have been killed in combat. On the other hand, the Class Wall, located just under the Cadet Chapel, bears the crests of each of the graduating classes of the Academy. The focal point for friends, family, and tourists who come to visit the Academy grounds is the Goldwater Visitor Center, named after Barry Goldwater, the Academy United States Senator. The organization in the Academy has the characteristics of both a civilian college and a military base.
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