The instructors

We called them "IP's." We also called them other things. Some of them were almost as green as we were. Others were seasoned combat veterans. Some were soft-spoken and friendly, others serious and firm, and a few were shouters and screamers. Our futures as Air Force pilots metaphorically sat in the palms of their hands, and literally in the grades and evaluations they gave us. Each IP got three or four "studs" and all sat at the same table for briefings. Our flights were graded E for Excellent, S for Satisfactory, and U for Unsatisfactory, always noted in red. "Reded" the ride didn't sound quite right, so when a stud got an Unsat he was said to have "pinked" the ride. Too many pinks and you got an "88" ride with a Stan/Eval pilot. Stan/Eval was short for Standardization/Evaluation. We called the Stan/Eval pilots "Stanley Evil." If you pinked the "88" ride you got a "99" ride with the chief of Stan/Eval. If you pinked that one you headed out for another line of work.