For the first time, St Cloud will be hosting a real air show featuring the Blue Angels, June 26th-27th, 2010.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Aviation Nation 2009
Nellis AFB 14-15.11.09
Nellis AFB, being probably the most active and largest base in the Air Force, as well as the home of the Thunderbirds, is now the site of the Air Force's premier air show.
Performers:
Besides the Thunderbirds:
Nellis flyby (F-15C, F-16C, A-10C, F-22A)
A-10C demo, and QF-4E heritage flight
C-17A demo
F/A-18F demo from VFA-122
Royal Netherlands F-16B demo
Static Displays included:
F-22A, F-15E, F-16C, A-10
(Nellis 57th Fighter Wing)
F-15C and F-16C aggressors
(57th Fighter Wing)
B-1B from the 28th Bomb Squadron
B-52H from the 340th Weapons Squadron
F-16C from the Ohio ANG
F/A-18C from VFA-22
F/A-18F from VFA
C-17A
HC-130
C-5A
T-38C
RC-135, E-3
Performers:
Besides the Thunderbirds:
Nellis flyby (F-15C, F-16C, A-10C, F-22A)
A-10C demo, and QF-4E heritage flightC-17A demo
F/A-18F demo from VFA-122
Royal Netherlands F-16B demo
Static Displays included:
F-22A, F-15E, F-16C, A-10
(Nellis 57th Fighter Wing)
F-15C and F-16C aggressors
(57th Fighter Wing)
B-1B from the 28th Bomb Squadron
B-52H from the 340th Weapons SquadronF-16C from the Ohio ANG
F/A-18C from VFA-22
F/A-18F from VFA
C-17A
HC-130
C-5A
T-38C
RC-135, E-3
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Fighter Pilots Face A Dismal Future
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmoral/articles/20091102.aspx
The drawdown of manned combat aircraft is leaving no room for pilots anymore, leaving only jobs for UAV technicians.
The drawdown of manned combat aircraft is leaving no room for pilots anymore, leaving only jobs for UAV technicians.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Final F-15A Eagle Retired by the Air Force
Final F-15A Eagle Retired by the Air Force
142nd Fighter Wing
Story by Staff Sgt. John Hughel
Date: 10.09.2009
Posted: 10.09.2009 08:11
http://www.dvidshub.net/img_show.php?id=211421
http://www.dvidshub.net/img_show.php?id=211423
PORTLAND, Ore. - On a clear late September day, Lt. Col. Steve Beauchamp strides from the flight operations' building toward one of many F-15's parked on the Portland Air National Guard Base ramp. Master Sgt. Mark Billmyer greets Beauchamp with a hand shake and conversation as he arrives for his mid-morning flight; both make their way toward a waiting "Redhawk" jet where Tech. Sgt. Andrew Shown has already begun to prep the aircraft. As typical as any daily mission flown by one of the officers from the 142nd
Fighter Wing can be, on this day one element of the routine is unusual. The journey that Beauchamp will be flying is a one way trip, as aircraft 77-098 will retire when they reach Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., later in the afternoon. What is also unique about this flight is that aircraft, tail number 77-098 is the last F-15A/B models in the active United States Air Force inventory.
"I thought I was going to ride off into retirement when the last of these 'A models' would be retiring," said Beauchamp.
The A and B models of the F-15 have been slowly fazed out of the Air Force inventory over many years. In total only 384 of the single-seat fighters were built from 1972 to 1979. The Air National Guard has held onto the original productions until the active Air Force began to receive the F-22 Raptors and turn over their C and D models to the Air National Guard.
"It seems strange to stand here and look at this terrific airplane and know I am taking it out of service," said Beauchamp.
Aircraft 77-098 first arrived in Portland on August 1st, 1994 and was one of the original Airplanes that came to the 142nd Fighter Wing during the second conversion period from the F-4 Phantom to the F-15 Eagle model. The 142nd converted to the F-15A/B aircraft in 1989-90, with most of those planes coming from the 318th Fighter Interceptor Group at McChord Air Force Base, which was being disbanded. The mission of the 142nd Fighter Wing has been to carry on as the primary air defense capability for all of the Pacific Northwest and western Canada.
During their 20-plus years of service with the 142nd, the A/B model aircraft have seen many unique missions other than just their air sovereignty alert mission.
In recent years the durability of the aircraft has been put the test with deployments to Operation Northern Watch in Iraq, as well as Saudi Arabia, Iceland and Singapore. Additional training deployments such as Red Flag in Las Vegas, Weapons Evaluations System Program exercises at Tyndall and Hill Air Force Bases sharpened the skills of the pilots flying the F-15A/B models.
The current conversion process from A and B models to the newer C and D models began in early May 2007. Beauchamp and Col. Steven Gregg, then wing commander, flew the first two C model jets from Kadena Air Base in Japan to their new home in the Pacific Northwest. During this U.S. Air Force extensive conversion process all F-15 A-E models were grounded for nearly two months worldwide in November of 2007 after a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C came apart in flight and crashed on November 2nd, 2007.
After the investigation, the Air Force found a flaw in the upper longerons of the airframe and many of the F-15C models that were to replace the older A models. More than 15 percent of the F-15 fleet inspected never returned to flight status; the rest were cleared to fly in early 2008. This slowed the conversion process and pushed back the life cycle of these older F-15A models.
As the F-15A models began to leave, the maintenance and crew chiefs had to give up airframes that had been with the unit for more than 10 to 15 years. One Aircraft in particular, tail numbers 73-089 had more than 35 years of total active service before it was retired earlier in 2009 and now will be refurbished for its new and permeate home at the Evergreen Aviation Center in McMinnville, Ore. Yet as many of the 142nd airplanes found their way to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center in Tucson, Ariz., in the
past year, the F-15C models that arrived from other active duty installations needed a great deal of attention.
"When we picked up the Kadena jets, our team had two weeks in Japan to get these planes ready", said Maj. Joseph Harris, 142nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. These two week acceptance inspections helped find immediate issues with the jets especially getting them ready to fly them all the way to Portland. Then in June 2007, the Air Force terminated these two week acceptance inspections. The focus on maintenance shifted back to the home unit once the newer C models arrived.
"We did receive and consume approximately 3000 man days to help us keep as many jets as possible flying. If we hadn't received these days, we would have had even less jets available to fly for several months longer," said Harris. "But once they have been through our inspection dock a few times this process gets better."
The inherit design of the newer F-15C models was one of the many challenges that the maintenance staff undertook when accepting these jets. "The learning curve went straight up," said Shown. "With the A models it was like we called ourselves the 'Maytag Repairmen' because of the condition we kept those jets in." For crew chiefs like Shown, the F-15A models were a way of life since he came to the 142nd nearly 20 years ago. This sense of ownership he and others in the Fighter Wing take on day after day, kept the fleet of
'A models' clean and in top notch condition all the time.
"We've have had visiting pilots and crews come in from other units from time to time in the past and fly our jet, and would routinely tell us they were the best F-15's they have ever flown. Period", said Shown.
But letting go of these older airframes is all part of the job too. "It was pretty tough to let go of good airplanes when the conversion first began", said Master Sgt. Mark Billmyer. "But we are gaining on the C models and where we did some inspections every 200 hours we now are pushing that to 400 hours." Billmyer first began working on F-14 Tomcats in the Navy before becoming part of the Air Guard and felt the F-15A models had a much higher technological advantage.
Yet as the newer C models arrive and the 142nd will see Golden Eagles make their way to Portland in the future, the sense of losing an old reliable friend was evident as the last careful preflight inspection on aircraft 77-098 was done by Beauchamp, Billmyer and Shown.
The morning was not lost on other members of the 142nd Fighter Wing either as many walked out to the flight line edge to watch the final F-15A take off into the luminous Oregon sky. "It's watching what we have put blood, sweat and tears into and taken great pride in over many years now leave. It's watching a part of us leaving too," said Harris.
142nd Fighter Wing
Story by Staff Sgt. John Hughel
Date: 10.09.2009
Posted: 10.09.2009 08:11
http://www.dvidshub.net/img_show.php?id=211421
http://www.dvidshub.net/img_show.php?id=211423
PORTLAND, Ore. - On a clear late September day, Lt. Col. Steve Beauchamp strides from the flight operations' building toward one of many F-15's parked on the Portland Air National Guard Base ramp. Master Sgt. Mark Billmyer greets Beauchamp with a hand shake and conversation as he arrives for his mid-morning flight; both make their way toward a waiting "Redhawk" jet where Tech. Sgt. Andrew Shown has already begun to prep the aircraft. As typical as any daily mission flown by one of the officers from the 142nd
Fighter Wing can be, on this day one element of the routine is unusual. The journey that Beauchamp will be flying is a one way trip, as aircraft 77-098 will retire when they reach Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., later in the afternoon. What is also unique about this flight is that aircraft, tail number 77-098 is the last F-15A/B models in the active United States Air Force inventory.
"I thought I was going to ride off into retirement when the last of these 'A models' would be retiring," said Beauchamp.
The A and B models of the F-15 have been slowly fazed out of the Air Force inventory over many years. In total only 384 of the single-seat fighters were built from 1972 to 1979. The Air National Guard has held onto the original productions until the active Air Force began to receive the F-22 Raptors and turn over their C and D models to the Air National Guard.
"It seems strange to stand here and look at this terrific airplane and know I am taking it out of service," said Beauchamp.
Aircraft 77-098 first arrived in Portland on August 1st, 1994 and was one of the original Airplanes that came to the 142nd Fighter Wing during the second conversion period from the F-4 Phantom to the F-15 Eagle model. The 142nd converted to the F-15A/B aircraft in 1989-90, with most of those planes coming from the 318th Fighter Interceptor Group at McChord Air Force Base, which was being disbanded. The mission of the 142nd Fighter Wing has been to carry on as the primary air defense capability for all of the Pacific Northwest and western Canada.
During their 20-plus years of service with the 142nd, the A/B model aircraft have seen many unique missions other than just their air sovereignty alert mission.
In recent years the durability of the aircraft has been put the test with deployments to Operation Northern Watch in Iraq, as well as Saudi Arabia, Iceland and Singapore. Additional training deployments such as Red Flag in Las Vegas, Weapons Evaluations System Program exercises at Tyndall and Hill Air Force Bases sharpened the skills of the pilots flying the F-15A/B models.
The current conversion process from A and B models to the newer C and D models began in early May 2007. Beauchamp and Col. Steven Gregg, then wing commander, flew the first two C model jets from Kadena Air Base in Japan to their new home in the Pacific Northwest. During this U.S. Air Force extensive conversion process all F-15 A-E models were grounded for nearly two months worldwide in November of 2007 after a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C came apart in flight and crashed on November 2nd, 2007.
After the investigation, the Air Force found a flaw in the upper longerons of the airframe and many of the F-15C models that were to replace the older A models. More than 15 percent of the F-15 fleet inspected never returned to flight status; the rest were cleared to fly in early 2008. This slowed the conversion process and pushed back the life cycle of these older F-15A models.
As the F-15A models began to leave, the maintenance and crew chiefs had to give up airframes that had been with the unit for more than 10 to 15 years. One Aircraft in particular, tail numbers 73-089 had more than 35 years of total active service before it was retired earlier in 2009 and now will be refurbished for its new and permeate home at the Evergreen Aviation Center in McMinnville, Ore. Yet as many of the 142nd airplanes found their way to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center in Tucson, Ariz., in the
past year, the F-15C models that arrived from other active duty installations needed a great deal of attention.
"When we picked up the Kadena jets, our team had two weeks in Japan to get these planes ready", said Maj. Joseph Harris, 142nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. These two week acceptance inspections helped find immediate issues with the jets especially getting them ready to fly them all the way to Portland. Then in June 2007, the Air Force terminated these two week acceptance inspections. The focus on maintenance shifted back to the home unit once the newer C models arrived.
"We did receive and consume approximately 3000 man days to help us keep as many jets as possible flying. If we hadn't received these days, we would have had even less jets available to fly for several months longer," said Harris. "But once they have been through our inspection dock a few times this process gets better."
The inherit design of the newer F-15C models was one of the many challenges that the maintenance staff undertook when accepting these jets. "The learning curve went straight up," said Shown. "With the A models it was like we called ourselves the 'Maytag Repairmen' because of the condition we kept those jets in." For crew chiefs like Shown, the F-15A models were a way of life since he came to the 142nd nearly 20 years ago. This sense of ownership he and others in the Fighter Wing take on day after day, kept the fleet of
'A models' clean and in top notch condition all the time.
"We've have had visiting pilots and crews come in from other units from time to time in the past and fly our jet, and would routinely tell us they were the best F-15's they have ever flown. Period", said Shown.
But letting go of these older airframes is all part of the job too. "It was pretty tough to let go of good airplanes when the conversion first began", said Master Sgt. Mark Billmyer. "But we are gaining on the C models and where we did some inspections every 200 hours we now are pushing that to 400 hours." Billmyer first began working on F-14 Tomcats in the Navy before becoming part of the Air Guard and felt the F-15A models had a much higher technological advantage.
Yet as the newer C models arrive and the 142nd will see Golden Eagles make their way to Portland in the future, the sense of losing an old reliable friend was evident as the last careful preflight inspection on aircraft 77-098 was done by Beauchamp, Billmyer and Shown.
The morning was not lost on other members of the 142nd Fighter Wing either as many walked out to the flight line edge to watch the final F-15A take off into the luminous Oregon sky. "It's watching what we have put blood, sweat and tears into and taken great pride in over many years now leave. It's watching a part of us leaving too," said Harris.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Fargo 2009 Airshow
This year's airshow at Fargo proved to be one of the best. Combat aircraft at the show included F/A-18Fs from NSAWC (Top Gun) Fallon NAS, F-16C from South Dakota ANG, and performances by F-15Cs of the Oregon ANG and the F-15E demo and an F-4 heritage flight, as well as the F/A-18C of the Blue Angels. Also, 2 A-10s from Whiteman AFB were present and there was also a single flyby of a Minot AFB B-52H.
Other displays included a C-5 from New York ANG, KC-135 from Grand Forks AFB, C-21 from North Dakota ANG, T-6A, T-38C & T-1A from Columbus AFB, T-45 from NAS Kingsville, and the Predator and Global Hawk, as well as UH-60 Blackhawks and a OH-58.
Extra touches at this show included Mavericks on the A-10s and open gun panels to reveal the 30mm shells. Also one of the F-15Cs was towed into the crowd after its flight, and the cockpit was put on display
Increasing clouds forced the Blue Angels to do a flat show (once again, they were able to do a high show on Sunday). All of the performances seemed to be somewhat reduced in power, I don't know if this was because of the location of the airport in the city, but it was certainly quieter than other airshows.
Photo Set
Friday, August 21, 2009
Air Show History
Here's a bit of air show history, mostly for the benefit of supplementing my memory, but also to add some history to the deficient accounts of the dark pre-internet world.
Rochester, MN, June 26th, 1988
My first airshow, featuring the USAF Thunderbirds. Static displays were an F-14, apparently from VF-74, and a C-130. In retrospect, this was my only encounter with the F-14 over twenty years, and I regret not seeing one in flight, such as at the 2003 Duluth airshow.
Eau Claire, WI, July 23rd, 1988
This was a Blue Angels show and set a record for attendance. I remember a massive amount of traffic. Static displays included an F-16 and F-18. I've also seen references to an A-10, but I don't remember that one.
Cambridge, MN, August 16th, 1989
This was another USAF Thunderbirds show - a remote one. Strangely this show was on a Wednesday at 2 PM. Looking at the schedule for 1989, the Thunderbirds performed at a different location each weekend day, with apparently some weekdays shows. The show was originally sheduled for Stillwater, but I remember some controversy over it. Cambridge expected 25,000 people, but 60,000 showed up and gridlock got so bad that there was nearly a riot. I don't remember much of that though.
The show was promoted as including an F-14 demo and B-1 and B-52 flybys. The B-1 and B-52 never showed up [1] and I don't remember the F-14 either. But, looking at my photos there was an F-4 flyover, presumably from the Minnesota ANG in Hill II scheme. The advertised C-5 did flyover, from Travis AFB in Euro I camo, and there was a C-130, probably also from the MN AF Reserve.
Mankato, MN , June 6th, 2003
My return to airshows after 14 years was another Thunderbirds performance, a remote one, and probably the last of that type that I'll attend. There's just no point if there aren't jets for the static displays and not watching the takeoffs reduces the impact. I hope the Thunderbirds quit scheduling these kind of shows, as they refused a reappearance in 2009. The weather started producing storms, which fortunately went around Mankato, but resulted in heavy clouds that forced a flat show (I believe there was a full high show on Sunday). But, the weather forced changes in the flightplan and by the time the Thunderbirds returned to Minneapolis International they were very low on fuel, which is something they don't want to repeat. The only other event of interest was an F-117 flyover. Sadly this was my only time to see a Nighthawk before their entombment. Like the F-14, I should have waited and gone to the Duluth Blue Angels show later in September, and viewed both of these aircraft in full glory before their extermination.
[1] Minneapolis Star & Tribune, 8/17/89 - Bill Sweetman
Rochester, MN, June 26th, 1988
My first airshow, featuring the USAF Thunderbirds. Static displays were an F-14, apparently from VF-74, and a C-130. In retrospect, this was my only encounter with the F-14 over twenty years, and I regret not seeing one in flight, such as at the 2003 Duluth airshow.
Eau Claire, WI, July 23rd, 1988
This was a Blue Angels show and set a record for attendance. I remember a massive amount of traffic. Static displays included an F-16 and F-18. I've also seen references to an A-10, but I don't remember that one.
Cambridge, MN, August 16th, 1989
This was another USAF Thunderbirds show - a remote one. Strangely this show was on a Wednesday at 2 PM. Looking at the schedule for 1989, the Thunderbirds performed at a different location each weekend day, with apparently some weekdays shows. The show was originally sheduled for Stillwater, but I remember some controversy over it. Cambridge expected 25,000 people, but 60,000 showed up and gridlock got so bad that there was nearly a riot. I don't remember much of that though.
The show was promoted as including an F-14 demo and B-1 and B-52 flybys. The B-1 and B-52 never showed up [1] and I don't remember the F-14 either. But, looking at my photos there was an F-4 flyover, presumably from the Minnesota ANG in Hill II scheme. The advertised C-5 did flyover, from Travis AFB in Euro I camo, and there was a C-130, probably also from the MN AF Reserve.
Mankato, MN , June 6th, 2003
My return to airshows after 14 years was another Thunderbirds performance, a remote one, and probably the last of that type that I'll attend. There's just no point if there aren't jets for the static displays and not watching the takeoffs reduces the impact. I hope the Thunderbirds quit scheduling these kind of shows, as they refused a reappearance in 2009. The weather started producing storms, which fortunately went around Mankato, but resulted in heavy clouds that forced a flat show (I believe there was a full high show on Sunday). But, the weather forced changes in the flightplan and by the time the Thunderbirds returned to Minneapolis International they were very low on fuel, which is something they don't want to repeat. The only other event of interest was an F-117 flyover. Sadly this was my only time to see a Nighthawk before their entombment. Like the F-14, I should have waited and gone to the Duluth Blue Angels show later in September, and viewed both of these aircraft in full glory before their extermination.
[1] Minneapolis Star & Tribune, 8/17/89 - Bill Sweetman
Sunday, July 26, 2009
4th Generation Fighters
Well, it seems that any future funding for the F-22 is dead. Obviously we need to confine spending as much as possible and in as many areas as possible, but it seems that the concessions in the areas of strategic and tactical aircraft are grossly out of proportion. After all, these are what we have used to fight and win battles for the last fifty years. I don't agree with Secretary Gates' view of what our military needs and I believe he is the wrong person for the job. I recently saw the head of the Joint Chiefs agree with Gates, so the new thinking has spread far. Perhaps the idea of fighting two conventional wars is outdated, although given the geopolitics of the last ten years, I think the assumed locations of two wars is still viable. But, I don't think we have fought (or not fought if we are properly prepared) our last conventional war. I think better planning would be for one conventional war with a simultaneous unconventional conflict. Therefore we must continue to advance and procure systems necessary for the possible front-line military engagement.
As for the F-22, the latest controversies have been over 8-12 additional aircraft, in the range of 1 to 2 billion dollars. At a current defense budget of over 700 billion dollars, we are discussing a miniscule part of America's budget. 187 Airframes is simply not going to be enough to fully field the F-22 for several decades. I argue that we should actually procure 200 more. At a top cost of $137 million, we could build 20 per year at $2.7 billion. This is still less than 1/3 of 1 percent of the budget. Surely we can afford this for front-line defense. I believe since the F-22 is already operationally fielded, it should get first funding and the F-35 should be reduced significantly to reduce the overall AF budget.
I recently read an article in Combat Aircraft discussing the "Fighter Gap" by the commander of the Oklahoma Air National Guard. Since the current F-15s and F-16s are being retired so fast, there will not be enough for future Guard use. And since the F-22 and F-35 are so expensive and in small numbers, the Guard won't be seeing those either. His suggestion was one I have been saying for years- its time for new build F-15s and F-16s. They are relatively low cost, and developments over the last ten years could be incorporated into the latest models, making them first-class lethal fighters for several decades.
Whether or not the F-22 could be built in higher numbers, I think more 4th-Generation fighters is the answer, both for future effectiveness and lowering the current defense budget. Unless, of course, we are actually getting something else for our $700 billion. Perhaps the Air Force is actually acquiring rumored YF-24 fighters, or one of numerous other conjectured aircraft. If this is the case, then perhaps the DOD's case for ending the F-14, F-15, F-16, F-22 and the F-117 is accurate. But, that is something we won't know for many years and if we only have the obvious assets and we destroy F-22 tooling and end any hope of future F-15, F-16 or F-22 production, we will have done incredible damaged to our military structure. And the only fix may be starting from square one, a very expensive and lengthy option.
As for the F-22, the latest controversies have been over 8-12 additional aircraft, in the range of 1 to 2 billion dollars. At a current defense budget of over 700 billion dollars, we are discussing a miniscule part of America's budget. 187 Airframes is simply not going to be enough to fully field the F-22 for several decades. I argue that we should actually procure 200 more. At a top cost of $137 million, we could build 20 per year at $2.7 billion. This is still less than 1/3 of 1 percent of the budget. Surely we can afford this for front-line defense. I believe since the F-22 is already operationally fielded, it should get first funding and the F-35 should be reduced significantly to reduce the overall AF budget.
I recently read an article in Combat Aircraft discussing the "Fighter Gap" by the commander of the Oklahoma Air National Guard. Since the current F-15s and F-16s are being retired so fast, there will not be enough for future Guard use. And since the F-22 and F-35 are so expensive and in small numbers, the Guard won't be seeing those either. His suggestion was one I have been saying for years- its time for new build F-15s and F-16s. They are relatively low cost, and developments over the last ten years could be incorporated into the latest models, making them first-class lethal fighters for several decades.
Whether or not the F-22 could be built in higher numbers, I think more 4th-Generation fighters is the answer, both for future effectiveness and lowering the current defense budget. Unless, of course, we are actually getting something else for our $700 billion. Perhaps the Air Force is actually acquiring rumored YF-24 fighters, or one of numerous other conjectured aircraft. If this is the case, then perhaps the DOD's case for ending the F-14, F-15, F-16, F-22 and the F-117 is accurate. But, that is something we won't know for many years and if we only have the obvious assets and we destroy F-22 tooling and end any hope of future F-15, F-16 or F-22 production, we will have done incredible damaged to our military structure. And the only fix may be starting from square one, a very expensive and lengthy option.
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