Eglin's 'Mighty Gorillas' own the skies

  • Published
  • By Noel Getlin
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Pilots stationed at Eglin fly a number of aircraft under three different wings. All have different missions, education and training, and therefore different approaches to flying. In this three-part series, we will examine the pilots of Eglin and what their unique missions bring to U.S. air superiority.

The 58th Fighter Squadron's "Mighty Gorillas" don't wait for the fight to come to them; they go to the fight.

However, the combat pilots say the process of "getting there" is not nearly as important as what they do when they get there. That's because the primary mission of the squadron is air-to-air combat.

"Very little is about the take off, the landing and the how we are going to get there," said Maj. Tony Cartwright, chief instructor pilot and weapons officer of the 58th FS. "We spend a lot of time thinking about how we are going to employ (or fight)."

Because their day-to-day flying mission is purely air-to-air combat, they find themselves in a unique position since the Global War on Terrorism currently doesn't have an airborne threat. Still, the squadron is a rapidly deployable combat unit and the pilots are always prepared to answer their nation's call. Often, this call comes from Northern American Aerospace Defense Command requesting immediate support for an Operation Noble Eagle tasking.

"We are always prepared to deploy as a squadron," said Capt. Vaimana Conner, electronic combat officer. "Our current mission priority is ONE. Since December, we've been flying combat air patrols protecting the president and ensuring air space is safe for space shuttle launches."

The Gorillas are the only flying squadron at Eglin that deploys as a unit.

"Usually, when the 58th has deployed, 80 percent of the people and jets go to one site and fly missions based on the conflict or whatever we're tasked to do," Captain Conner said.

While they haven't participated in air-to-air combat overseas recently, they are still making an impact.

"In the area of responsibility, freedom of movement cannot be done without air superiority," said Major Cartwright. "If you do not dominate the skies, you cannot move UAVs and other things as freely as we do over there."

"The supreme success of any armed force is to cause an adversary to behave according to our own designs without having to fire a shot," added C Flight Commander Capt. Michael Reilly, paraphrasing military strategist Sun Tzu. "Any time we say, 'we'll be there in two weeks,' and they bury their fighter jets under 60 feet of sand, we've accomplished our mission."

To have that kind of bearing, credibility is critical and the squadron constantly trains for the next air-to-air threat.

The pilots train by swapping roles as good guys and bad guys in unit training missions and they analyze adversary aircraft tactics, weaponry and maneuvering characteristics. Whenever possible, they participate in dissimilar air combat training. The 33rd Fighter Wing pilots will alternately fly training missions with the 53rd Wing F-15s and F-16s and Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., F-15s and F-22s. Occasionally, they fly with other airframes from visiting U.S. and foreign units, including the Royal Air Force's Tornado F-3 and the Canadian F-18s.

The single-seat, F-15C Eagle is the lethal tool of the 33rd FW. The jet can reach speeds in excess of 1,875 mph or Mach 2 and is known to have "unprecedented maneuverability," according to U.S. Air Force fact sheets. The jet can pull nine Gs, which is the effect the body experiences with the force of acceleration and gravity. When pilots experience high G forces, blood can rush from their head to their feet, causing tunnel vision and in some cases loss of consciousness. In order to oppose the physiological effects, pilots wear G suits, but they must also be in peak physical condition.

"It's managing what's happening at the speeds and the physical rigors of (combat flying) that defines what we do," said Memphis, Tenn., native Major Cartwright.

Despite the fact that the fighter jets they fly are older than most of the pilots (they were built in 1978 to 1983), they have a true affection for the airframe.

"The F-15 is old and it doesn't have a glass cockpit (computerized displays), but it's the best at what it does," said Maj. Cartwright. "It's been in combat 104 times and it's never lost."

Captain Conner said the newer computerized color displays are nice, but the old steam gauges work just fine because you can essentially fly the F-15C by feel.

"This jet will talk to you," added Major Cartwright. "When you ask it to do something, if it can do it, it will. If it can't, it will try. You don't even have to look inside (at the displays) to know what it's doing ... because you feel everything she's doing. It's good at what it does without having all the fancy stuff."

All the fighter pilots are highly competitive; something they say is a necessity for the job. They compete for jobs, position in formations and upgrades.

"Being a fighter pilot is nonstop competition," said Major Cartwright. "You know you are going to compete every time you do something."

It begins when the pilot shows up at a new wing where they automatically begin on the bottom rung as a wingman. The flight instructors and director of operations decide when and if the pilot has progressed enough to be upgraded to a two-ship flight lead, then a four-ship flight lead (who can lead the standard F-15 employment formation into combat), and finally mission commander, who can lead eight to 12 Eagles in a stand-alone or integrated combat mission. At the top of the flying hierarchy are the instructor pilots, many of whom have been to the U.S. Air Force Weapons School.

"Upgrades are by competitive selection," said Captain Conner. "It's a rite of passage. And there's no guarantee you are ever going to be upgraded."

But the fighter pilot hierarchy is separate from the command structure, making for an unusual dichotomy.

"The dynamics are unique because you can have someone of higher rank who is not as high in the hierarchy," Major Cartwright said, who has 1,200 flying hours.

There are other day-to-day duties to fulfill in squadron in addition to the flying missions. Pilots also take on the role of safety officer, scheduler, weapons officer, director of operations and flight commander, just to name a few. When it all comes down to it, actual flying time is just a small - but extremely important - part of their actual duties. 

"I would call a 50- to 60-hour work week a light week for us," said Captain Reilly, a native of Trenton, N.J.

For each mission, there's mission planning, equipment checks and extensive discussion afterward in debriefings. This is where they review three tapes that record the Head's Up Display (HUD), radar scope and tactical situation display. They also carry a telemetry pod that records the aircraft's exact position and altitude throughout the mission for review after the flight. The pilots can spend up to a half hour discussing a maneuver that took only seconds to perform.

"For the operational guys, they'll talk about it before the mission and when they get back," said Major Cartwright. "The debrief is intensive. It's like being in a constant scrimmage. Every time you get to look at the tapes, you see something you could have done better."

Now that the 33rd FW is drawing down and transitioning to a Joint Strike Fighter training wing, the pilots once again find themselves competing for positions in fighter aircraft. Capt. Conner will be flying the F-22 but Cartwright and Reilly are still awaiting their fate. Of course, both are seeking a spot in a fighter squadron.

"The best part of being a fighter pilot is every day is a different challenge," said Major Cartwright.

"As far as having a fun job, this is the perfect combination of intellect and athleticism," said Captain Reilly. "You've really got to be on top of your game at both of these to be successful."