Bryant High School (Bryant, AR) Athletics

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Shelbyville’s Top Gun</h1>
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Path to fly fighter jets begins at Air Force Academy for Cox</h4>
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By Jeff Brown 
Sports editor</h5>
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Published: Saturday, April 26, 2014 7:06 AM US/eastern</div>
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J.D. Cox needs a call sign. One of those cool ones all the fighter pilots have like “Maverick”, “Hammer” or “Thunder”. One day, if things go as planned, and so far they have for Cox, the Shelbyville High School senior will realize his dream to be a fighter jet pilot. Already a licensed pilot, Cox recently learned he has been accepted into the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 
 
“I’m excited and I’m scared,” said Cox after Shelbyville’s baseball team defeated Triton Central, 4-3, on April 18. 
 
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Those are emotional words from someone that rarely shows much emotion while wearing a Shelbyville uniform. How about “Iceman” for his fighter pilot call sign? On the tennis court, Cox is calculating and fast. It resulted in him playing No. 1 singles for all four years of his varsity career. 
On the baseball diamond, he appears most comfortable behind the plate directing the traffic around him with a series of commands and hand signals. 
As one of the chosen few selected for entry into the Air Force Academy, Cox leaves for Basic Cadet Training in late June. The six-week session precludes any classwork or time in the air. By his own estimation, he already has 70-plus hours in piloting a Cessna 172 – a “flying washing machine” as he puts it. 
The hope is that experience will make him more qualified when it comes time to seriously chase his dream of breaking the sound barrier in a jet. 
“Flying definitely helped me get in (to the Air Force Academy),” said Cox. “It’s an advantage. I know what I’m doing. But I’ve also heard a flight instructor say some of the hardest people to train are people that have flight experience because they want you to learn their way and not the way you were taught. If I can learn their way or their way is the way I was taught, I will be just fine.” 
Cox won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t get his own F-22 Raptor. The overall goal is to make a career of being a pilot. 
“What do I want to fly? I want to fly fighter jets,” said Cox enthusiastically, “but I would fly anything just to be up in the air.” Upon graduation from the military academy, Cox can opt to be a pilot. A large number of graduates choose such a path. Flight school follows. That’s when the best of the best get singled out. 
 
Scott Hughes wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Cox stepping to the head of the class. 
 
“He is a very special kid,” said the Shelbyville baseball coach. “He is definitely a smart kid who works hard at it whether it’s tennis, baseball, becoming a pilot or studying. He submerges himself into it and hones his craft. I can see why Air Force Academy accepted him.” 
 
Playing baseball rates just behind flying for Cox, who intends to try out for Air Force’s baseball program. There has been initial contact with Falcons head coach Mike Kazlausky, who had one message for the inbound cadet. “He told me to get through Basic Cadet Training first,” laughed Cox. 
As a young boy, Cox fell in love with flying. And before he ever enrolled in a class at Shelbyville High School, he already was focused on attending the Air Force Academy. 
“The little kid in me liked airplanes so I did some research on Air Force and realized flying helps,” said Cox. “I also heard people say (being a pilot) would help and it was something I always wanted to do. Even if I didn’t go to Air Force, I was looking at flying at other colleges so I could be a commercial pilot.” 
 
Just to be selected as an Air Force Academy cadet is an honor. The application process is rigorous and intended to find only the best candidates. 
It starts with a preliminary application, according to Cox. After that, there were more detailed forms to fill out. Then he needed a nomination which came, after passing more scrutiny, from U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana. 
The entry process is just the beginning, though. Now comes the training and classwork and, ultimately, the military commitment – one Cox looks forward to serving just as his grandfather did before him. “There is a required 5-year (military) commitment after (graduation),” said Cox. “Depending on what you do, it could be more. 
 
“If I decide to go fly, my career will be longer because of the training I will have to take. I’m probably looking at a 10-year commitment, if not more. I’m also looking at going in and following it until I retire. I wouldn’t say it’s an easy career but it’s a guaranteed career.”</div>

SHELBYVILLE’S TOP GUN

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