Help Wanted: Air Force Thunderbirds Want You
December 7th, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Markeshia Ricks
The Ambassadors in Blue are looking for a few good airmen to join their team, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials.
The 138-member unit is looking for some new blood among officers and enlisted members willing to make multi-year commitments to the team that performs up to 75 demonstrations a year in the U.S. and abroad, according to AFPC. Officers selected to the team serve a two-year assignment and enlisted members serve three or four.
The team is looking for a demonstration pilot, operations officer, executive officer, maintenance officer and public affairs officer, according to AFPC.
Known officially as the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, part of the Thunderbirds’ fame comes performing precision aerial maneuvers that demonstrate the capabilities of the Air Force F-16 to people, but the team also has other responsibilities, according to the Air Force.
Team members support recruiting and retention, reinforce public confidence in the Air Force and help strengthen the morale and esprit de corps among airmen, according to the squadron’s mission statement and objectives.
If you’re interested in applying, go to the secure Air Force Personnel Services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.
Tags: f-16, pilot, recruiting, Thunderbirds
Geopolitics of fighter jets, explained for all
September 19th, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Scott Fontaine
Confused about the whole on-again, off-again nature of the sale of F-16s to Taiwan? Let our favorite Taiwanese animators explain it:
Tags: china, f-16, geopolitics, taiwan
From Tangier to Tucson
June 28th, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Scott Fontaine
If you’re a foreign policy nerd like some of us on the Air Force Times staff, then you can’t help but think the 162nd Fighter Wing has one of the cooler gigs in the Air Force.
The 162nd, an Arizona Air National Guard unit, trains foreign militaries how to fly the F-16. They operate out of Tucson International Airport – home of the famed Tucson International Mariachi Conference! – and get to enjoy the lovely weather of the American Southwest.
Their latest customer? The Royal Moroccan Air Force, which sent four F-5 pilots to train up on the Fighting Falcons. The Moroccans will soon wrap up 15 months of training in Tucson, where they attended courses in basic qualification, flight lead upgrade and instructor-pilot certification. The students averaged three sorties per week and totaled more than 150 hours in the F-16.
Six other pilots are attending the basic F-16 course in Tucson and will graduate in September.
Some of the Arizona Air National Guardsmen will soon travel to Morocco as the first four of the kingdom’s 24-aircraft purchase arrives off the assembly line. They will help stand up F-16 operations at Ben Guerir Air Base, north of Marrakesh.
“It’s a big commitment to be the first F-16 pilots for Morocco,” Lt. Col. Steve Haase, the Morocco program manager for the 162nd, said in a release. “It’s a testament to their positive attitude and work ethic. They are excited about the F-16 and its capabilities yet they understand how much work there will be to build up an F-16 base.”
Tags: 162nd fighter wing, air national guard, f-16, f-5, morocco, training