Off the ground

An A-10C Thunderbolt II takes off from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., June 28, 2012, marking the first flight of an aircraft powered solely by a alcohol-derived jet fuel blend. ATJ, or Alcohol to Jet, is a cellulousic-based fuel. It can be derived using wood, paper, grass, anything that is a cell-based material. The sugars extracted from these materials are fermented into alcohols, which are then hydro-processed into the aviation-grade kerosenes used for aviation fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Ready to fly

Senior Airman Mitchell Harrington, of the 46th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, goes over last minute checks before sending the A-10 on its first flight using an alcohol-derived fuel blend June 28 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Check flight

Marine Lt. Col. Roger Hardy, Defense Contract Management Agency F-35 Lightning II acceptance pilot, prepares for his first of six F-35A check out flights at the 33rd Fighter Wing. The AV-8B Harrier pilot is the first military member to qualify in flying operations at the wing who isn't assigned to Eglin. He currently works at the DCMA office, Lockheed Martin, Ft. Worth, Texas, to provide government oversight/inspection of contractor aircraft operations; ensuring safe and effective joint strike fighters are operationally ready before they are delivered to the Department of Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Karen Roganov)

413TH FLTS HUEY

413th Flight Test Squadron Huey helps in wildfire effort. (courtesy photo)

Dropping bombs

Squadron Leader Sion Hughes, a British exchange pilot and Capt. Gary Beisner, a 46th Operations Group test engineer, return to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., after a bomb rack unit jettison test May 21. The mission collected separations data for the BRU-61carriage system loaded with a Guided Bomb Unit-39 over the Gulf of Mexico. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is the first DoD aircraft to test jettison capabilities of the BRU-61. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago)

Dropping bombs

Squadron Leader Sion Hughes, a British exchange pilot and Capt. Gary Beisner, a 46th Operations Group test engineer, fly back to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., after a bomb rack unit jettison test May 21. The mission collected separations data for the BRU-61carriage system loaded with a Guided Bomb Unit-39 over the Gulf of Mexico. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is the first DoD aircraft to test jettison capabilities of the BRU-61. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago)