Air Force, 1993
• 1992 Academic All-America® Second Team
• 1993 Academic All-America® Second Team
Lance Pilch was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 2007.
Lance Pilch was a 1993 graduate of the Air Force Academy. He was a three-year letter winner on the Falcon baseball team, starting two years in the outfield and serving as co-captain of the 1993 team. Pilch combined batting averages of .361 and .315 (’92 and ’93) with 11 career triples and a team-high of 12 stolen bases. His guidance during his senior year led the ‘93 team to its first winning season in nine years with a 28-22 record and a school record of 21 home wins.
Pilch graduated with a degree in electrical engineering and continued to earn a master’s degree from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in 2006.
After completing pilot training, Pilch flew the F-16 and was named the best wingman in 1996 and 1997, and in 1998 the best flight lead. In 2002 he was ranked the number one F-16 pilot. The Air Force selected Pilch as one of seven pilots to fly and teach in the newest plane the F-22. He completed over 2,000 total flying hours, including combat in Iraq, leading the 2005 Super Bowl XXXIX flyover. Pilch, later was stationed at Tyndall Air Force base in Florida, and wasone of only three pilots in the world qualified to fly the F-16, F-15 and the F-22.
Pilch is active in community service. He values education and speaks to students elementary age to high school about his experience as an officer and pilot in the Air Force. He organizes trips for young students to tour Air Force bases and learn about flight simulators. He volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and with FOCUS HOPE, a Detroit program delivering food to families. Pilch and his wife, Junko, have two children, Samantha and Julie.