Also, get a style manual that differentiates among the different military branches. The Army style for capitalization and abbreviations, for example, differs from that of the Air Force. Be sure to check out the history of honor code violations - especially “cheating scandals” at the Academy during the period covered by the story. This may require newspaper archive searches. Start with the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Thanks exastris! That link was very useful. And thanks again Jurph for that great style manual. It’s interesting how so many AF writers overcapitalize the field grade ranks and above, despite their own style manual telling them not to. That part of the manual matches regular fiction style guides.
The author has decided Cali will have a bike during her first two years at the academy, since she isn’t allowed to own a car. He found an article that described a large parking/rack facility for the cadet’s bicycles. NinjaChick or anyone else who knows, is it practical for cadets to get around campus on a bicycle, or is it unnecessary? It certainly makes sense for when Cali wants to go into town, but those opportunities will be severely limited during her fourth-class year. Are there remote areas of the base that 4th-classers would frequent often enough on their own time such that biking there would be a great help? Also, are there bike racks strategically placed? I’m sure the Academy frowns on cadets locking their bikes to any old thing in public areas. 
*** Ponder
Cadets march to meals in formation and walk to most classes within a fairly compact academic campus. Car rentals and bike repairs are available at the Vandenberg Outdoor REcreation Center for “eligible users of 10th Services Division activities are active duty and retired military, NAF and DoD government employees, USAFA cadets and Prep School students, reservists, national guard, and eligible family members.” The linked page is about a year out of date, but you might take a look:
http://www.usafa.af.mil/10abw/10msg/svk/orc/cadetorc.cfm?catname=10abw
Buses take cadets to SERE training in Jack’s Valley and vans transport them for flight training.
There are (or were recently) some huge bike racks near Arnold Hall. Before the area around the Academy was so built up, some nearby ranchers used to rent barn space to underclass cadets for storage of their cars. Among thae advantages of having a host family in the northern Colorado Springs area or of attending church off base and making friendly with the locals are having a place to store a car or, at least, getting rides to Walmart for Pop-tarts or whatever.
I mean “sponsor family”.