Operation Noble Eagle deployers return

by Senior Airman Megan P. Lyon
366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office

1/17/2008 - MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho  -- Airmen from the 391st Fighter Squadron and the 389th FS returned Jan. 2 after a deployment to provide airspace protection for the President as part of Operation Noble Eagle.

The Airmen deployed Dec. 20 to Robert Gray Army Airfield at Fort Hood, Texas, to provide air cover for the President during his Christmas vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

"We were flying in a 30-mile radius of air space above the ranch," said Maj. Meziere Richard, 391st FS chief of wing weapons and project officer for the deployment. "In total, we had 100 Mountain Home Airmen, 13 security forces Airmen from Dyess AFB, Texas, and seven jets from the 391st FS."

Operation Noble Eagle began shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, to support homeland defense and civil support missions and is manned by Air National Guard, active-duty and reserve Airmen.

The deployed group consisted of pilots, air crew and maintainers, made up of about fifty Airmen from each squadron.

"Every Airman that deployed was a volunteer," said Master Sgt. Ernest Jiron, 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production office supervisor. "They sacrificed time away from their families during the holidays."

During the deployment the Airmen worked long hours to protect the President.

"We worked a rotation of 24 and 12 hour shifts while we were there," said Major Meziere. "At any given time we had two jets on 15-minute stand-by and another two jets on one-hour stand-by. For our 15-minute launch time window, we had an average launch-time of six minutes. We're pretty proud of that."

"Overall the mission was pretty quiet; we had only two real-world incidents," added the major. "It was hard to miss Christmas and New Years, but it was all part of the mission."

"It's an amazing sacrifice these young men and women made to protect the President," said Sergeant Jiron. "This deployment demonstrated our ability to deploy on short notice and showed once again the 366th Fighter Wing's capability to perform the mission efficiently."

"The Eagles are released from the Cage"

“by Airman 1st Class Chase Skylar DeMayo
1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

1/8/2008 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- After a month-long stand-down, the 71st Fighter Squadron launched the first of their F-15C fleet Jan. 9 at 9:30 a.m.

Eagle pilots and maintainers quickly responded to the announcement by Gen. John D.W. Corley, commander of ACC, that the Eagle was ready to soar again.

Lt. Col. Robert Garland, 71st FS commander, led the six-ship Eagle formation on its first flight in more than a month, reinstating the Ironmen as a lethal weapon for the United States.

"The Eagles are released from the cage," said Colonel Garland. "The 1st Fighter Wing will once again have three combat mission ready fighter squadrons to utilize at a moment's notice. We have been waiting 44 days for this announcement - we're ready to get right back in the game."

The pilots who lost currency due to not flying for several weeks will be expected to launch and land their jet with an instructor pilot in order to continue missions they flew prior to the stand-down. Although certain qualifications were lost, the Ironmen were able to spend more time on training - in and out of the classroom.

"Our pilots were able to work on academics during the stand-down, ensuring the most senior pilot and the newest pilot are on the same page to better our flying operations," said Colonel Garland. "Although we weren't able to fly, our squadron was able to maintain the same standards we always have."

During the stand-down, maintainers were able to keep up with all of their training and requirements. The long weeks and hours maintainers put into the more than 20-year-old jets leaves little time for ancillary training or keeping up with their career development courses.

"It's been an interesting month," said Senior Airman Michael McCann, 1st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. "We were willing to do whatever it took to launch our jets again."

Since 1976, the Ironmen have led the way for other Air Combat Command F-15 bases, taking an active role in Operation Desert Storm and most recently Operation Noble Eagle.

"We knew it was important to maintain all of our standards here and launch as soon as we could," said Airman McCann. "We want people to say, 'If the Ironmen are launching, then the other F-15 bases are ready.'"

Two New F-15s Arrive On Kadena

KADENA  AIR BASE,  JAPAN – Two F-15 Eagles previously assigned to Langley AFB, Va., arrived here at Kadena AB as part of a two-year process to replace Kadena’s aging F-15 fleet.  The two newer-model fighter jets join three others that arrived from Langley in late December.  The five F-15s are now permanently assigned to the 18th Wing, and will bear the wing’s distinctive double “Z” tail flash.

      As each are replaced, Kadena’s older jets, manufactured in 1978, will transfer to the U.S. Air National Guard inventory.  That transfer process includes swapping out the older Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 turbofan engines in the Langley F-15s with the newer P&W F100-PW-200 engines in Kadena’s current fleet.  Gradually, all 54 of Kadena’s Eagles assigned to the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons will be replaced with the Langley jets, manufactured between 1978 and 1985.

      The new F-15s will provide a greater combat capability to the Air Force and the alliance, including state-of-the art Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS), and enhanced radar systems.

      Kadena supports more than 100 F-15C/D Eagles, KC-135R/T Stratotankers, E-3B/C Sentries (AWACS), HH-60G Pave Hawks, MC-130H Combat Talon II’s, MC-130P Combat Shadows, Navy P-3 Orions, and temporarily-assigned and transient aircraft.  The Airmen, Sailors, Marines and Soldiers assigned to Kadena defend U.S. and Japan mutual interests and project deterrence throughout the Western Pacific and  South-East Asia, promoting regional peace and stability.

'Hat-in-the-Ring Gang' says goodbye to its Eagles"

by 1st Lt. Elizabeth Kreft
1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office

12/16/2005 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- The 94th Fighter Squadron flew its last F-15 Eagle sortie today, marking the squadron’s official evolution to F-22A Raptor operations.

The “Hat-in-the-Ring Gang” is the second squadron at Langley to convert from

 the F-15C/D -- a strictly air-to-air fighter -- to the Raptor, which has air-to-ground capabilities. Pilots from Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon units will move into the 94th to ramp up Raptor operations.

“From the operator perspective, we see it as a way to better equip the force,” said Lt Col. Dirk Smith, the squadron commander. “It’s more than just getting a new airplane; it’s about the people who make it happen.”

The pilots, 21 F-15Cs and two F-15Ds with the squadron will transfer to Langley’s 71st Fighter Squadron for the time being. The 1st Fighter Wing is moving two Eagles a month to other Air Force installations.

The squadron’s aircraft maintenance, flight management and aircrew performance Airmen will either temporarily assist the 71st with F-15C operations, attend F-22A support training or begin on-the-job training at the 94th, under 27th FS guidance. The 27th was the first squadron to convert to the Raptor.

“We are in a good situation because they (the 27th) have built a good concept of operations, and we have the ability to take what they have learned to the next level,” Colonel Smith said. “We will be able to enjoy the benefits of the work that the 27th has done.”

If history repeats itself, the 94th “Spads” will take the F-22A Raptor to historical levels of air dominance. Two Spads are credited with the first-ever American victory in air-to-air combat in 1918. The squadron has 215 recorded aerial kills.

This kind of air dominance is synonymous with the Raptor’s repertoire.

“Through cooperation and teamwork with the 27th operations and maintenance personnel we will be a better-prepared force overall,” Colonel Smith said.

The timing and order of the Eagle-to-Raptor transition seems fitting by some aspects. The 94th is the second oldest fighter squadron in the Air Force, preceded only by the 27th.

The 94th would have celebrated its 30-year anniversary of Eagle flying in 2006. The Spads first began flying F-15 in 1976, after relocating to Langley in 1975 with the rest of the wing.

Saying goodbye to a familiar aircraft is never easy. But evolving into a Raptor squadron will be a welcome challenge for some members of the 94th.

“I am going to miss flying the Eagle -- it’s a reliable jet that is proven in combat,” said Capt. Kevin Hornburg, a 94th flight commander. Initially assigned as an Eagle driver, he was chosen to fly the Raptor and returned to Langley from F-22A pilot training at Tyndall AFB, Fla.

“As a squadron we have a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be well worth it the first time the 94th is asked to go to war with the F-22A,” Captain Hornburg said.

Senior Master Sgt. Lloyd Thomas, assistant NCO in charge the 94th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, arrived at Langley in 1978 when the Eagles were still new in the Air Force. Though the Raptor will be the 34th aircraft the 94th will fly, he still feels the F-15 will be sorely missed.

“The 94th was one the first squadrons to actively fly the Eagle, so it is certainly the end of an era,” Sergeant Thomas said. “The 94th has had a long and successful history, but the F-15 was part of that history.”

 

Kadena takes ‘pride’ in revamping F-15 fleet

by 1st Lt. Gerardo Gonzalez
18th Wing Public Affairs

10/21/2005 - KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Some of the F-15 Eagle fleet’s oldest jets are getting a second chance at life here, thanks to a $5.2 million upgrade program 

During the next year, Kadena Eagles will receive a microscopic inspection called "Pride Dock" by Department of Defense contractors and Airmen from the 18th Maintenance Group.

The first fighter to undergo the approximately 10-day overhaul -- extending the life of the aircraft -- rolled out of the “Pride Dock” Oct. 12.

As part of Pride Dock, contractors thoroughly inspect and replace peripheral items on an aircraft’s key systems, like flight controls, radar, tactical electronic warfare, electro-environmental and weapons.

“We are re-establishing the baseline with the operational systems of a 27-year-old plane that has 7,000 (flying) hours -- and (extending its life) another 10 to 15 years,” said group commander Col. John Miller. “This is a (Air Force) fleet-wide application that we’re working.”

Pride Dock technicians fix many of the discrepancies -- such as old wiring and bent connectors -- that consume maintenance time and take the focus from delving deeper into the core systems themselves, said Chief Master Sgt. Mark Henderson, group Pride Dock project officer.

Like an aging car, peripheral items in a jet degrade with time. Troubleshooting problems takes time.

“In a perfect world, the maintainers would spend less time chasing down these anomalies and more time working on the operational system, in the same amount of time,” said Colonel Miller.

Establishing the Pride Dock operation has been a monumental undertaking, Chief Henderson said. They brought in Defense Support Services contract technicians who methodically planned every step of the project, tested the concept, analyzed data and implemented lessons learned to improve the process.

“We created a detailed program plan to establish Pride Dock operations because there was no on-going similar program to bench mark” he said.

It all begins with examining 180 days worth of discrepancy information for each aircraft.

Contractors and active-duty project officers review data to determine an aircraft's trend. Then, a pilot test flies the aircraft prior to taking it to the Pride Dock.

Next, technicians meet with the pilot to gather more data. For the next 10 days, contractors and assigned crew chiefs examine every inch of the applicable systems and replace worn parts.

“This will afford us the operational checkout that we need to make sure that we’re giving our aircrews a combat ‘code 1’ capable aircraft,” said Colonel Miller.

Results are already positive. The first F-15C, tail number 469, flew successfully after the overhaul. The fighter had not been flying for some time.

“The aircraft flew well out of the gate from Pride Dock,” said Maj. Robert Haug, 44th FS director of operations. “Now that it’s back on the flying schedule I expect it to be a top-performing aircraft.

Pride Dock also provides valuable feedback to maintainers.

Chief Henderson said that feedback can be shared internally to use for other scheduled inspections. It can also be passed on to Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, the F-15 System Program Office and the entire Air Force F-15 fleet.

“This has the interest of the entire logistics chain of command all the way to Air Staff,” Colonel Miller said.

William Tell:

intercepting drones, Noble Eagle homeland defense aircrew scramble — and more

by Tech. Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald

Eight years have passed since fighter pilots last “locked on” to “enemy” targets and dueled in the skies over the Gulf of Mexico during a William Tell exercise.

The Air Force’s many global commitments contributed to the exercise’s hiatus. However, the 50th anniversary of the air-to-air event was worth the wait.

“ Most of us work in a competitive environment, but seldom actually get to experience the nerves and pressure associated with true competition,” said Capt. Travis Hazeltine of the 19th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. “William Tell gives you a chance to experience that and the opportunity to perform accordingly.”

Pilots, weapons loaders and maintainers from four major commands and the Air National Guard went to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. — the “Home of Air Superiority” — to compete. There, judges tested and evaluated aircrews on their ability to perform under combat conditions. Participants competed for points in five aircrew flying profile scenarios ranging from live-fire exercises pitting the F-15C against an MQM-107E subscale drone to an Operation Noble Eagle homeland defense no-notice aircrew scramble.

While William Tell highlighted air-to-air combat maneuvers, pilots couldn’t launch without support crews. On the ground, maintainers, weapons directors and bomb loaders demonstrated their skills — keeping jets flying and loaded in record time and earning coveted points toward team totals.

Every Airman worked toward the same goals: showcase unit pride, represent the respective command and base and, of course, take home the trophy.

The teams at this year’s competition were the 71st Fighter Squadron from the 1st Fighter Wing, Langley Air Force Base, Va. (Air Combat Command); 95th Fighter Squadron from the 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. (Air Education and Training Command); 123rd Fighter Squadron from the 142nd Fighter Wing, Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore.; 19th Fighter Squadron from the 3rd Fighter Wing, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska (Pacific Air Forces); and the 493rd Fighter Squadron from the 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England (U.S. Air Forces in Europe).

Pacific Air Force’s 19th Fighter Squadron “Gamecocks” — with their souped-up F-15C Eagles — beat the competition and took the team trophy back to Elmendorf. The squadron’s Capt. Pete Fesler was awarded the Top Gun trophy, and the unit was recognized as the top weapons load team.

F-15 crashes in Nevada

3/25/2005 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN)  -- An F-15 Eagle crashed at about 8:35 a.m. March 25 about 50 miles northeast of here.

The pilot ejected safely and was flown back to the base. He and the aircraft are assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron.

A board of officers will investigate the accident.

Spare jet scores for PACAF team during William Tell event

by 1st Lt. Amy Hansen
3rd Wing Public Affairs

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) -- The Pacific Air Forces team put big points on the William Tell scoreboard after a touch-and-go start in their first event Nov. 9 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

The Operation Noble Eagle event simulates the launch of quick-response fighters that must react to an enemy aircraft crossing the border into the United States. The scenario requires pilots and maintenance personnel to run to the jets, start them, take off and intercept the enemy aircraft within a specific amount of time -- in the dark.

When the horn sounded for the PACAF team at 7 p.m., a pilot, a crew chief and an assistant crew chief ran approximately 50 yards to each of two F-15 Eagles from Elmendorf's 19th Fighter Squadron. The pilots climbed into the jets to start them while the maintainers briefly inspected the aircraft exteriors.

Within a minute, one jet's engines were starting with a roar. The other jet's engines were eerily quiet. Onlookers gasped as the pilot climbed back out of the F-15's cockpit.

"When I got to the jet, the jet fuel starter failed," said Capt. Travis Hazeltine, wingman for PACAF's William Tell team. "I tried the second one, and it didn't work, either. I grabbed my gear and ran to the next jet."

A spare jet had been prepared for the flight by another pilot, just in case one of the first two malfunctioned -- just like in a real-world alert situation, said Captain Hazeltine.

As the clock ticked closer to the five-minute time limit, the spare jet's crew chief, Staff Sgt. Eric Bradley, and assistant crew chief, Tech. Sgt. Timothy Castro, raced to get their pre-launch inspections done while Captain Hazeltine fired up the engines.

"What we have to do in the cockpit is quick and simple, so the launch time really depends on how quickly and safely the maintainers can do their part of it," said Captain Hazeltine.

Sergeants Bradley and Castro had the spare jet rolling out in five minutes and 20 seconds, which included the time it took for the pilot to try the first jet. That time was only 20 seconds over the time limit for using a single jet and is excellent for using a spare, according to Capt. Pete Fesler, the instructor pilot on the PACAF team.

"Those guys did awesome," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Roscoe, PACAF engines specialist. "That's how it's supposed to go."

It was all in a day's work for Captain Hazeltine, Sergeant Bradley and Sergeant Castro.

"It didn't shake me," said Captain Hazeltine. "The rest of the mission was perfect."

"We'll get the job done," said Sergeant Bradley. "We're like the anchor leg of a relay."

And what a relay it was. PACAF's score for the Operation Noble Eagle event was only 60 points away from perfect. Twenty points were deducted for going to the spare jet and being 20 seconds over the time limit. Twenty-five points were deducted in the weapons director category for extraneous communications. Fifteen points were deducted from the maintenance score for a foreign object found near one of the jets.

With a total score of 4,690 out of a possible 4,750, the PACAF team demonstrated that a problem is only a problem if it isn't dealt with correctly.

Hawaii Air Guard participates in Cope Tiger

by Maj. Stacee Bako
Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

1/24/2005 - KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE BASE, Thailand (AFPN) -- Eight F-15 Eagles and 70 Airmen from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 199th Fighter Squadron deployed here Jan. 24 for Cope Tiger 2005. They were here to practice their flying-training skills with Thai and Singaporean airmen, and U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force air and ground support crews.

This is the 11th time U.S. forces have participated in the Royal Thai air force-led, Cope Tiger since 1992. The joint- and combined-multilateral training exercise will wrap up Feb. 4.

“Cope Tiger is giving us the opportunity to integrate into a seamless organization with our active-duty counterparts and our Thai and Singaporean allies,” said Maj. Christopher Faurot, assistant director of operations for the 199th FS and operations officer for the deployed 199th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

“We’ve (joined) with other Guard units, but we’re testing the waters to see whether or not we can employ this concept for real-world operations with active-duty units,” Major Faurot said.

F-15 aircraft and crews from both the 199th FS and the 44th FS from Kadena Air Base, Japan, will form a combined active-duty and Guard unit.

Two joint teams will form, consisting of the flying forces from each of the participating countries. These two opposing teams will fly air-to-air and air-to-ground exercise combat missions using a variety of aircraft weapon systems, officials said.

The aircrews will participate in dissimilar basic fighter maneuver training, dissimilar air combat tactics training, close air support training, and large force employment training. Additionally, forces will exercise airborne and land-based control of mission packages, air refueling, search and rescue procedures and common operational procedures at the unit level, such as mission planning and in-flight interoperability.

“It’s important to continue to train our total force so they are ready for their primary mission of defense of the U.S. and its multinational partners,” said Maj. Gen. David A. Deptula, Pacific Air Forces director of air and space operations. “And these exercises are key to building relationships of cooperation and interoperability with our allies.”

More than 2,100 people will participate in the exercise, including about 620 U.S. servicemembers and 1,500 servicemembers from Thailand and Singapore.

Other units include the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron from Kadena AB; the 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; 13th Air Force from Andersen AFB, Guam; and U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 2 from the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.

released: June 13, 2002

71st Fighter Squadron wins air-superiority award

By Tech. Sgt. Marina Pevey
1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) -- For the third time in less than 10 years, the 71st Fighter Squadron’s “Ironmen” proved they are number one in air defense when officials announced the winner of the 2001 Raytheon Hughes Achievement Award.

Started in 1953 by Hughes Aircraft Company, the award is given annually to the top air-superiority or air-defense squadron in the Air Force.

This is the fourth time a 1st Fighter Wing unit has taken the honor. The 71st also received the award in 1993 and in 1998. The 27th Fighter Squadron was the 1995 recipient. Also, the 71st Fighter Interceptor Squadron, the 71st’s predecessor, won the award in 1969.

Lt. Col. Thomas Bergeson, the 71st commander, credits the unit’s success to teamwork and the leadership of the previous commander, retired Lt. Col. Robert Bledsoe.

“The Ironmen have been successful because operations, maintenance and support have all come together to work for the one common objective – mission success,” he said. “They spent a very demanding (fiscal year 2001) deployed in air-defense operations on three continents, unfortunately including our own. We couldn’t have done it without the support of all members of the (1st Fighter Wing) – many of whom deployed with us and made our operations possible.”

During 2001, the 71st flew in Turkey for Operation Northern Watch, went to Iceland for Operation Northern Guardian and defended America as part of Operation Noble Eagle.

Pilots flew 225 combat sorties and 1,196 combat hours over northern Iraq. While in Iceland, they flew 315 sorties. When the call came Sept. 11, the 71st was the first active-duty unit scrambled to provide combat air patrol. Despite the heavy operations tempo, the Ironmen continued to support training schedules, deploying seven times within the United States for participation in exercises.

The unit ended the year flying around-the-clock combat air patrols over the nation’s capital while preparing to deploy for an air-expeditionary-force rotation in December.

Lt. Col. Chris Nowland, the 71st director of operations, said, in the end, it is the people who made the difference.

“This reflects on the caliber of people in the 1st FW and the 71st FS,” Nowland said. “Ultimately, the people with all the little things and day-to-day details make this recognition possible.”

Bergeson said he considers the award a particular honor considering the current world situation.

“With so many great air-superiority fighter squadrons in the Air Force, all of them heavily tasked and doing an incredible job, it is a great honor to have been singled out as ‘the best.’ But we won’t take long to pat ourselves on the back, because in this business, there’s no off-season,” he said. “The bottom line is that none of us are in this for the recognition – our reward is knowing that we provide air superiority for America.”

F-15 Eagles still flying high at 30

7/31/2002 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- The F-15 Eagle turned 30 years old July 27, but those who fly it or maintain it say this bird is as spry as ever.

Considering the numbers that really count, the aircraft is mission perfect. It currently boasts a combat record of 104 kills without a loss, a score that includes Israeli and Saudi Arabian air force F-15s.

"It's holding up very well for its 30 years," said Master Sgt. Jeroy Stelly, a section chief for the 2nd Fighter Squadron's crew chiefs here. "That has a lot to do with the people who work on them."

Pilots here are not surprised the Eagle is still the world's premier air superiority fighter, even after three decades of service.

Is the aircraft ready for pasture?

"Not at all," said Lt. Col. Matt Donovan, 95th Fighter Squadron commander, "It's just a superb fighting airplane."

The colonel said the F-15 is programmed to continue flying through at least 2015.

Capt. Dwight Minnick, a 1st Fighter Squadron maintenance officer, agreed with Stelly that the Eagle is weathering the years far beyond expectations.

"The aircraft was designed with a life span of approximately 5,000 hours, and many of our aircraft are well over the 5,000-hour mark, but you wouldn't know it based upon how well these jets are flying," Minnick said.

"Airframes tend to show more stress fatigue over time in the form of cracks and stuff, but overall they can withstand a lot," said Master Sgt. Moody Summerell, a flight chief assistant for the 95th FS crew chiefs. "I believe the corrosion prevention and overall dedicated maintenance performed now and in the past are the prime reasons the F-15 has been around so long."

Despite the aircraft's high hours, Donovan said, "I'm as confident flying in one today as I was 19 years ago when I started flying them. A lot of that is due to our maintainers."

Donovan was proud to point out his own maintainers have notched the world's highest F-15 mission capable rates.

"That's due in no small part to the 19- and 20-year-old heroes of mine who come in and take care of these airplanes, tap the pilots on the shoulders and say, 'Take care of it,'" he said.

Donovan also credits strong training programs for much of the Eagle's success.

"I think another real key is the superior training and capabilities of the pilots who fly it," he said.

The colonel said he has seen U.S. Air Force F-15 pilots demonstrate their high-quality training during exercises by consistently winning dissimilar air engagements against foreign, highly matched "opponent" pilots and aircraft, such as front-line Russian-built fighters. The same success resulted when U.S. Air Force pilots swapped aircraft with their adversaries.

With the Eagle notching 30 years of service, it is obvious around Tyndall that its own F-15s are as old or older than most of the students here training to fly it.

"The Eagle is actually about five years older than I am, but that doesn't change at all the confidence that I have in its capabilities," said 1st Lt. Dave Martinez, a Tyndall F-15 Basic, or B-course student as they are commonly known. "It has been tested in combat countless times and every time has emerged as the winner. Not one Eagle has been lost in combat in three decades. If that isn't proof enough of its capabilities, then I don't know what is."

Three decades old or not, the F-15 inspires as much awe as ever in those who see it, maintain it or fly it for the first time.

"The Eagle isn't just impressive, it's imposing," said B-course student 1st Lt. Tony Bierenkoven. "Its sheer size is the first thing a person will notice when (he or she gets) up close. A plane that large being able to maneuver like it does speaks for itself." (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)