Just another vote of confidence by the Air Force that Eglin AFB is where they will train pilots and maintainers for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Air Force OKs F-35 training school at Eglin
By LAUREN SAGE REINLIE / Daily News
Published: Monday, December 17, 2012 at 17:33 PM.
EGLIN AFB — The Air Force on Monday gave their F-35 training school the go-ahead to officially open its doors to teach pilots how to fly the military’s newest stealth fighter jet.
Gen. Edward Rice, who heads the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command, visited Eglin Monday to give his formal approval.
“It’s a great day for us,” said Col. Andrew Toth, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, which oversees the training program. “It really solidifies the teamwork and dedication that all the men and women have put into making this happen here.”
The training program at Eglin is the only one of its kind in the country. It serves as a schoolhouse for pilots in the Air Force, Marines and foreign services to learn to fly the new jets, which cost about $70 million each. The Navy is set to begin training on its own variant of the jet next year.
The program situates Eglin at the forefront of development of new combat aviation technology, which will likely be used for the next 40 to 50 years, said Lt. Col. Eric Smith, director of operations for the 33rd Fighter Wing.
Monday’s announcement comes just days after the Department of Defense said that it has signed a $3.8 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to purchase a fifth batch of F-35s after months of contention regarding cost-overruns. The deal could eventually bring 14 new jets to Eglin, including eight for the Air Force, according to preliminary numbers.
The Air Force currently has nine F-35s at Eglin. That is expected to ramp up to 20 by the end of next year, Smith said.
The Air Force now has the go-ahead to take on their first official class of six pilots who will start training Jan. 7. They plan to put 36 through the program next year.
This year they graduated 12 pilots who trained while the school awaited official approval.
While some of the graduates will stay at Eglin, others will be stationed with their own wings at Edwards Air Force Base in California or Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
The course includes about six weeks of academic training and six weeks of flight training. It uses state-of-the-art flight simulators, at a cost of $25 million apiece, that allow instructors to recreate almost any scenario that could arise in the air, said Maj. Greg Frana, who oversees the simulation program at the academic training center.
The program also relies heavily on about 130 aircraft maintainers who work to keep the Air Force’s F-35s ready for safe flight.
The maintainers are highly qualified but had to learn to care for a brand new aircraft in a relatively short time period, said Master Sgt. Shannon Wood, who oversees maintenance on the flight line for the 33rd Fighter Wing.
“This is an awesome milestone,” Shannon said. “It’s been extremely challenging, but (the maintainers) took it head on and they surpassed expectations with what they’ve done with this jet.”
Toth said that the visiting general did not report finding any major changes the program needs to make as far as execution or safety.
“He’s excited for us, excited for the Air Force,” Toth said of Rice. “He’s very proud of what we have done and accomplished in the last year and getting us to where we are.
“He said, ‘Keep up the great work,’ ” Toth said.
In a news release issued Monday, Rice said the program was robust enough to conduct the planned instruction at Eglin.
“The (evaluation) showed the men and women at Eglin are ready,” he said in the news release. “I'm very proud of both those in uniform and the contracted support who put in years of hard work.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 orlreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.
No comments:
Post a Comment