Joint spouse pilots selected for Academy assignment

Published May 9, 2014
By Staff Sgt. R.J. Biermann
31th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- For the past 12 years, one husband and wife couple has journeyed together to several different locations around the world -- sometimes faster than the speed of sound. The two will soon depart for a three-year, special duty assignment at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Majors Christopher "K-Rush" and Kristin "Mother" Hubbard are F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots assigned to the 555th Fighter Squadron and 510th Fighter Squadron, respectively. Recently, they were both selected to serve as air officers commanding, where they will command, mentor and support approximately 100 cadets.

"It's a very selective process," said Col. Anthony Abernathy, 31st Operations Group commander. "They sent in their packages and only 40, of however many majors applied, were selected. They'll spend one year finishing their master's degree - focused on leadership and counseling. After that they'll transition to be AOCs for two years."

According to Abernathy, the Hubbards will be greatly missed by the wing.

"They truly are the backbones of their squadrons," Abernathy said. "Whether it's preparing for a deployment, getting ready for a training exercise, academics, flying or socially; they're always involved. They're just part of the core of those units.

"The unit relies so heavily upon their experience and expertise," he continued. "You take that away and it creates a void that others will have to step up to fill."

Christopher and Kristin Hubbard met in 2002 during primary pilot training at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. After six months, the two started dating. Two years later, they tied the knot.

"I was impressed by her flying skills," Christopher Hubbard joked.

"Learning to fly together was very exciting for both of us," Kristin Hubbard said. "I think if you can handle your future spouse for 12 hours a day, seven days a week, you've probably found the right person."

Both were selected to become F-16 pilots after graduating primary pilot training and throughout their relationship, one common theme has continued to prevail.

"We've had fun in the Air Force because we've been together," she said. "Our first formation flight ever in the Air Force was actually together, which was pretty cool," Kristin Hubbard said. "We flew the T-6 [Texan II], T-38 [Talen] and F-16 initial training together and we've now been stationed at a bunch of places together. We've been in the same squadron. We've flown in Red Flag together and have deployed together."

To stay together, the Hubbards volunteered for a one-year remote assignment at the same time to be two-and-a-half hours from one another.

"We volunteered to go to Korea so we could be relatively close," she said. "We volunteered to go to Luke [Air Force Base, Ariz.] and different bases so we could be together.

Nine-and-a-half years later, they're slow to tell who outranks who.

"There's no rank between us," he said. "Everyone implies competition between us. You'd think [there would be competition] because we've been constantly ranked and rated against one another, but our mentality has never been who's better. It's always been how can we make it better for one another."

And, for now, "Mother" is content with her "adopted" children.

"I can't even keep plants alive," she said. "People always ask me if I'm very motherly to the boys [in the squadron] and I say, 'Well, they're still alive; so I'm doing something right.'"

They both admit that the secret to their marital bliss and successful career is simple.

"We've had a good focus on our priorities -- family then career," Kristin Hubbard said. "We've done some great things for our career, that have been fun; but they were very challenging and hard on the relationship because we weren't together. The whole time we've been having so much fun being together and we're doing well, so we've said, 'Let's just stay in as long as we're having a good time and we stay together.' Why would we stop doing this?"