Wingmen

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Two of the Air Force Thunderbirds F-16s perform an inverted pass while three others come around for another pass during the practice show April 9 here. The weekend airshow drew more than 70,000 people each day. The T-birds headlined the show. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Anthony Jennings)

Arrival

Thunderbird maintainers scurry around their F-16 while another taxis in at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., April 8 in preparation for the airshow April 10 and 11. The T-birds will perform both days with their ground show beginning at 3 p.m. The airshow begins at 9 a.m. on both days. See www.eglin.af.mil for more information. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Soaring

A Thunderbird F-16 soars over the skies of Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., April 8 before arriving here for the airshow April 10 and 11. The T-birds will perform both days with their ground show beginning at 3 p.m. The airshow begins at 9 a.m. on both days. See www.eglin.af.mil for more information. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Green flight

An A-10C Thunderbolt II from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., flies along the coast of Florida March 25, 2010, during the first flight of an aircraft powered solely by a biomass-derived jet fuel blend. The A-10 was fueled with a 50/50 blend of Hydrotreated Renewable Jet and JP-8. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Master Sgt. Joy Josephson)

Hover craft

The first Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II short takeoff, vertical landing stealth fighter demonstrated the capability to hover March 17, during a test flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The flight was a significant test mission leading up to the aircraft’s first vertical landing. It confirmed predictions of the jet’s vertical thrust, stability and control in hovering flight. The flight began with a conventional takeoff before F-35 lead STOVL Pilot Graham Tomlinson initiated conversion to STOVL mode at 200 knots airspeed. He then slowed the aircraft to 60 knots and flew a decelerating approach to a zero airspeed hover at 150 feet above the runway. This marked the first free air hover in the F-35B Lightning II aircraft. Upon reaching zero airspeed, the pilot executed test points to confirm the controllability of the aircraft in the hover. After completing all hover test points, the pilot executed a STOVL landing at 70 knots airspeed. Later in the day, BF-1 performed the first F-35 short takeoff. Matching performance predictions, the F-35B accelerated down the runway in STOVL mode and lifted off at 100 knots using less than 1000 feet of runway. The successful tests are the latest steps in demonstrating the F-35B’s ability to conduct operations from small ships and unprepared fields, enabling expeditionary operations around the world.

Airshow static

L-5G "Intensive Care"

Airshow display

PT-17

Nice HUD

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Navy Capt. Mike Saunders, 33rd Operations Group deputy commander, tries on the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter helmet after getting measured for the new flight suit. The new pilot equipment includes everything from underwear to cold weather outer gear to anti-G garments. The measurement brought Eglin one step closer to being able to commence training, said Marine Col. Arthur Tomassetti, 33rd Fighter Wing commander. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Anthony Jennings)

Like an eagle

A 4th Fighter Wing F-15E Strike Eagle soars over the Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., range during a Combat Hammer mission Feb. 3. Combat Hammer is an Air-to-Ground Weapons System Evaluation Program controlled by the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron. The F-15s from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., participated in the week-long evaluation dropping GPS and laser-guided weapons. The WSEP was the first evaluation of Small Diameter Bombs at Eglin and first evaluation of Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions in a Combat Hammer. The WSEP program, run by the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group, is used to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of combat air force weapon systems. The evaluations are accomplished during tactical deliveries of fighter, bomber and unmanned aerial system precision guided munitions, on realistic targets with air-to-air and surface-to-air defenses. For many of the aircrew participating in WSEP, it is the first time employing live weapons. This provides a level of combat experience many units face during combat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Scott Alford.)

SDB calling

An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 4th Fighter Wing drops a Small Diameter Bomb during a Combat Hammer mission Feb. 3 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Combat Hammer is an Air-to-Ground Weapons System Evaluation Program controlled by the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron. The F-15s from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., participated in the week-long evaluation dropping GPS and laser-guided weapons. The WSEP was the first evaluation of SDBs at Eglin and first evaluation of Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions in a Combat Hammer. The WSEP program, run by the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group, is used to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of combat air force weapon systems. The evaluations are accomplished during tactical deliveries of fighter, bomber and unmanned aerial system precision guided munitions, on realistic targets with air-to-air and surface-to-air defenses. For many of the aircrew participating in WSEP, it is the first time employing live weapons. This provides a level of combat experience many units face during combat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Scott Alford.)

Midair gas station

A 4th Fighter Wing F-15E Strike Eagle connects with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 134th Air Reserve Wing for a refuel while 46th Test Wing F-16s stand by during a Combat Hammer mission Feb. 3. Combat Hammer is an Air-to-Ground Weapons System Evaluation Program controlled by the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron. The F-15s from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., participated in the week-long evaluation dropping GPS and laser-guided weapons. The WSEP was the first evaluation of Small Diameter Bombs at Eglin and first evaluation of Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions in a Combat Hammer. The WSEP program, run by the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group, is used to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of combat air force weapon systems. The evaluations are accomplished during tactical deliveries of fighter, bomber and unmanned aerial system precision guided munitions, on realistic targets with air-to-air and surface-to-air defenses. For many of the aircrew participating in WSEP, it is the first time employing live weapons. This provides a level of combat experience many units face during combat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Scott Alford.)

A hard rain

A 4th Fighter Wing F-15E Strike Eagle connects with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 134th Air Reserve Wing for a refuel while 46th Test Wing F-16s stand by during a Combat Hammer mission Feb. 3. Combat Hammer is an Air-to-Ground Weapons System Evaluation Program controlled by the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron. The F-15s from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., participated in the week-long evaluation dropping GPS and laser-guided weapons. The WSEP was the first evaluation of Small Diameter Bombs at Eglin and first evaluation of Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions in a Combat Hammer. The WSEP program, run by the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group, is used to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of combat air force weapon systems. The evaluations are accomplished during tactical deliveries of fighter, bomber and unmanned aerial system precision guided munitions, on realistic targets with air-to-air and surface-to-air defenses. For many of the aircrew participating in WSEP, it is the first time employing live weapons. This provides a level of combat experience many units face during combat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Scott Alford.)

Chilly conversation

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Airman 1st Class Travis Young, 46th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, begins communicating with the pilot of an F-16 before it taxis to the runway. Northwest Florida was hit by a massive cold front sending temperatures plummeting well below freezing. Despite the cold, the maintainers must prepare the jets and get them in the air. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Anthony Jennings)

Waiting for the heat

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Airman 1st Class Cody Snodgrass and Travis Young, 46th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, talk while waiting for an F-16’s engine to fire up Jan. 5. Northwest Florida was hit by a massive cold front sending temperatures plummeting well below freezing. Despite the cold, the maintainers must prepare the jets and get them in the air. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Anthony Jennings)

Canadian WSEP

F-18 Hornets from the 409th Canadian Air Force line the runway during a Weapon System Evaluation Program 10-03 on Dec. 4 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The WSEP program, run by the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron, is used to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of combat air force weapon systems for aircrew and maintainers. The 53rd Wing headquarters is located on Eglin AFB, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King, Jr.)

Restoring a piece of aviation history

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Senior Airman Joshua Estep, 96th Security Forces Squadron investigations/antiterrorism officer, primes a B-52G static display at the Air Force Armament Museum Nov. 13. The 96th SFS and 96th Ground Combat Training Squadron are working together to fully restore the aging aircraft as part of the Adopt-a-Plane program which aims to have individual organizations take responsibility for maintaining a specific aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Anthony Jennings)

JSF

A model of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is part of the back drop at the 33rd Fighter Wing redesignation ceremony marking the standup of the Air Force's first F-35 training unit. The 33rd FW "Nomads" now align under Air Education and Training Command and will be responsible for training pilots and mechanics on the new fighter. (U.S. Air Force photo /Greg Murry)

Eglin hosts B-1 test mission

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Staff Sgt. Dallas Osburn, 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Maj. Neil McCracken, 53rd Test Management Group, and Col. Mick Guthals, 53rd Wing vice commander, perform their preflight inspection of the B-1B Lancer before its return flight to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Two B-1B Lancers were brought from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, last week in an effort to better defend the aircraft for today’s warfighters and prove the strength of new software. The B-1 is a long range, multi-role, heavy bomber with a wingspan of 137 feet, and is capable of intercontinental flight unrefueled. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Sam King)

Eglin hosts B-1 test mission

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Staff Sgt. Dallas Osburn, 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron and Col. Mick Guthals, 53rd Wing vice commander, perform their preflight inspection of the B-1B Lancer for a test mission Sept. 24, here. Two B-1s were brought here from Dyess AFB, Texas, last week in an effort to better defend the aircraft for today’s warfighters and prove the strength of new software. The B-1 is a long range, multi-role, heavy bomber with a wingspan of 137 feet, and is capable of intercontinental flight unrefueled. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Sam King)

Eglin hosts B-1 test mission

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Two B-1B Lancers await taxi clearance the runway here, Sept. 24 for a test mission. Two B-1s were brought from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, for test missions last week in an effort to better defend the aircraft for today’s warfighters and prove the strength of new software. The B-1 is a long range, multi-role, heavy bomber with a wingspan of 137 feet, and is capable of intercontinental flight unrefueled. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman Sam King)

B-1B Lancer

B-1B Lancer - 96th (Air Base) Wing were the first to employ the B-1B bomber in the early 1980's. (Courtesy Photo)

Last 33rd Eagles

An F-15 three-ship flies over the 33rd Fighter Wing's now empty ramp, marking the end of their 30-year legacy of Eagle driving here Sept. 8. Aircraft will not begin to fill up the ramp until the Joint Strike Fighter arrives here next year, following the Oct. 1 wing transition to Air Education and Training Command. The last three Eagles left Eglin to join the standby fleet at Air Force Material Command's 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Tucson, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Eric Jacobson)

Firing falcon

An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., fires an AGM-88 HARM at a ground target during a Combined Weapons System Evaluation Program, a large-scale evaluation at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The three-week exercise assessed operational effectiveness and suitability of weapons and weapons systems for both air to air and air to ground. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Wilkerson)

Trauma Team

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq – Capt. Melissa Dooley, 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron, emergency room doctor, prepares a trauma response team to treat a simulated burn victim during a joint mass-casualty exercise here Aug. 7. Capt. Dooley, a Litchfield, Minn., native, is deployed here from 96th Medical Group, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo /Staff Sgt. Joshua Breckon) (RELEASED) 090807-F-0414B-071 UNCLASSIFIED