Columbus AFB

Columbus AFB is an undergraduate pilot training base in Mississippi, where student pilots discover that the T-6 Texan II is actively trying to kill them with G-forces and spatial disorientation, and the town of Columbus is actively trying to bore them with a selection of restaurants that can be counted on one hand and a nightlife scene that consists of the O-Club and 'staying in.' The area is affordable (Mississippi-level affordable, which means your BAH is basically a trust fund), historic (antebellum homes, Civil War sites, and a downtown that's charming in a 'frozen in 1950' kind of way), and honest about what it is — a small Southern town that feeds student pilots and sends them on their way. Memphis is two hours north with Beale Street, barbecue, and real music. Birmingham is two hours east with a surprisingly good food renaissance. The Catfish Trail is real — a constellation of rural catfish restaurants along Mississippi back roads — and the catfish on it is excellent, fried golden, served with hush puppies and slaw. Your social life is the flight room, your best friends are your classmates, and the bonds formed here last careers.