About one month ago, I was selected as the flight lead of the quarter for the 510FS and also for the 31FW where both squadrons compete against each other. It's nice to know my hard work in the scheduling shop and being assistant projo for the Zaragoza trip has paid off. Also, the cross-country I lead went without any problems, so that may have been a contributing factor as well. Back in the fall of 2006 I was selected as wingman of the quarter right before going to the desert, but I don't think I ever mentioned it. These awards help when it comes time for my officer's training reports to be written, and it gives guys the motivation to keep working hard. I'm not writing this to brag on myself, but just to let everyone know that hard work has its benefits. Check six!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Wingman / Flight Lead Of The Quarter
About one month ago, I was selected as the flight lead of the quarter for the 510FS and also for the 31FW where both squadrons compete against each other. It's nice to know my hard work in the scheduling shop and being assistant projo for the Zaragoza trip has paid off. Also, the cross-country I lead went without any problems, so that may have been a contributing factor as well. Back in the fall of 2006 I was selected as wingman of the quarter right before going to the desert, but I don't think I ever mentioned it. These awards help when it comes time for my officer's training reports to be written, and it gives guys the motivation to keep working hard. I'm not writing this to brag on myself, but just to let everyone know that hard work has its benefits. Check six!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Berlin Airshow
The Berlin Airshow was a very enjoyable week. My wingman, Garrett, and I landed early Monday morning at Schoenefeld Airport about 1 hour before the show started. The support personnel quickly fueled our jets and towed them into position with the rest of the US Air Force aircraft. The USAF had a C-5, C-17, KC-135, 2 B-1s, an F-15C and E and our 2 F-16s. There were also fighter from Germany, France and Hungary. This event was more than just an airshow. It was also an international trade show for countries around the world to attend and see the latest and greatest technology as they consider buying new military equipment as well as show off what equipment they had to offer. Many countries are considering upgrading their fighter aircraft and those up for consideration usually are the French Rafale, US F-16 and Swedish Gripen. The Eurofighter is also a player, but it's more expensive then the other three. It did give quite an impressive flight demo along with the Dutch F-16 demo team. In the years ahead, the F-35 will be the new fighter around and hopefully I can make a transition into flying it. 
With this being the case, Lockheed Martin (maker of the F-16) had many of their potential buyers stop by our jets for some "show and tell" time. I'm probably not the best salesman there is, but having flown the jet quite a bit I could offer my fairly credible opinion. Lockheed paid for our hotel rooms and even put on a big dinner for all the USAF personnel staying at the hotel. In addition to the potential buyers, there were some big wigs walking around. General Brady, USAFE commander, the US Undersecretary of Defense and a couple other generals stopped by. The German chancellor attended the show too. So, needless to say it was important we were ready at all times. Once the important people would move on, it was then time to show the local attendees the jets and let them take pictures. Many young kids had a great time being so close to a fighter jet, and I put some of the smaller ones in the cockpit so they would have a great memory in the years ahead.
As most Americans know, Berlin was the center of a mass airlift operation after WWII by the US and British Air Forces to supply the local population with food and supplies since the Russians had cut off all supplies to the city...it was called the Berlin Airlift. Temelhof Airfield was the center of this effort and over 5,000 tons of goods a day were flown in. As we traveled around Berlin, we saw remains of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and a bombed out church left standing in order to never forget what happened during the war. Reading the stories of families being split by the wall were very sad, and many we shot trying to escape East Germany. It was great to travel to another part of Germany with Lana, and she enjoyed the fact I was able to learn more about her country.
Besides the historical things, we saw Alexanderplatz where a few scenes from The Borne Ultimatum were filmed and many other interesting places around the city. Lana and I took a day trip to the Potsdam Palace, which is located to the southwest of Berlin. It was completed in 1769 by Frederick the Great. Over the years it had been used by the royals and kings of the region...a very nice area.
The airshow finished on Sunday with Monday being a US holiday. So, our squadron director of operations wanted us to get some extra flights by flying somewhere in Europe. Our plan took us to Leeuwarden Air Base, Netherlands for one night and then through Garons Air Base, France on the way back to Aviano. It was my first time to the Netherlands; another new and interesting culture. This wrapped up a great week and another great experience for Lana and I as we continue along in our Air Force journey. Enjoy the pictures!
More Pictures:
As most Americans know, Berlin was the center of a mass airlift operation after WWII by the US and British Air Forces to supply the local population with food and supplies since the Russians had cut off all supplies to the city...it was called the Berlin Airlift. Temelhof Airfield was the center of this effort and over 5,000 tons of goods a day were flown in. As we traveled around Berlin, we saw remains of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and a bombed out church left standing in order to never forget what happened during the war. Reading the stories of families being split by the wall were very sad, and many we shot trying to escape East Germany. It was great to travel to another part of Germany with Lana, and she enjoyed the fact I was able to learn more about her country.Besides the historical things, we saw Alexanderplatz where a few scenes from The Borne Ultimatum were filmed and many other interesting places around the city. Lana and I took a day trip to the Potsdam Palace, which is located to the southwest of Berlin. It was completed in 1769 by Frederick the Great. Over the years it had been used by the royals and kings of the region...a very nice area.
The airshow finished on Sunday with Monday being a US holiday. So, our squadron director of operations wanted us to get some extra flights by flying somewhere in Europe. Our plan took us to Leeuwarden Air Base, Netherlands for one night and then through Garons Air Base, France on the way back to Aviano. It was my first time to the Netherlands; another new and interesting culture. This wrapped up a great week and another great experience for Lana and I as we continue along in our Air Force journey. Enjoy the pictures! More Pictures:
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
Late in May, our squadron went TDY to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey to train and use their air-to-ground bombing range at Konya. Konya is the first TDY I went on with the Buzzards back in 2006. We were in a different location this time, but using the same range. As I've mentioned before, Italy doesn't have a range we can use close by, so we always have to go somewhere to train...just like we did to Zaragoza, Spain back in February. Our training included CAS flights in the local area around the base as well as those to Konya to drop heavy weight inert bombs. The inerts are the same sice as an LGB or GPS guided bomb would be without the guidance equipment.
The base if half Turkish and half US, so our time on the base was fine. The gym, dining hall and BX were nice, but the "hooches" reminded me of being back in the desert again. The regular hotel rooms were all full, so the facilities we stayed in were those used by fighter guys supporting Operation Northern Watch after the first Gulf War. Overall it wasn't bad...the only thing I didn't care for on the trip was the fact I got sick for a good week while there. It's the sickest I can remember being in a long time with headache, fever and stomach issues. Because of it I missed a couple flying days and a weekend trip to the beach.
One flight in particular stands out during the trip. I was the flight lead that day and my wingman and I were both carrying two 2000# inerts to the range. We were also scheduled to work with a forward air controller airborne (FAC-A) who had willy peak rockets on his jet to make the target (the rockets give off a white smoke after they hit the ground) he wanted our bombs on. Our pop attack flow took my wingman and I in a 500 ft / 500 knots about 30 seconds behind the FAC-A so that he could mark the target and then turn back around and watch our attack to make sure we were pointed at the correct vehicle. If he needed to, he has the authority to have us abort the pass (not drop our bombs) and reattempt. As my wingman and I pulled up from 500 ft, we both called "tally smoke" and then rolled in one behind the other to hit the target. Our first try was successful and another good learning experience for me still being a young flight lead. I also got to shoot some rockets on another flight, so I'm now "rocket qualified."
Just outside the base is what's called "the alley." During Operation Northern Watch, there were many more military personnel and the locals depended on them to buy their products along the alley. You can buy a wide variety of things, but the most popular are the Turkish rugs. Many of the guys bought rugs, but I decided not to. I'm not much of a rug person at this point in my life. Depending on what time of the day someone is shopping along the alley, they might hear the Muslim call to prayer...it's a little strange initially, but after a few days it becomes a little more normal. The mosque above is the main one in Adana, the biggest city close to the base.
The base if half Turkish and half US, so our time on the base was fine. The gym, dining hall and BX were nice, but the "hooches" reminded me of being back in the desert again. The regular hotel rooms were all full, so the facilities we stayed in were those used by fighter guys supporting Operation Northern Watch after the first Gulf War. Overall it wasn't bad...the only thing I didn't care for on the trip was the fact I got sick for a good week while there. It's the sickest I can remember being in a long time with headache, fever and stomach issues. Because of it I missed a couple flying days and a weekend trip to the beach.
One flight in particular stands out during the trip. I was the flight lead that day and my wingman and I were both carrying two 2000# inerts to the range. We were also scheduled to work with a forward air controller airborne (FAC-A) who had willy peak rockets on his jet to make the target (the rockets give off a white smoke after they hit the ground) he wanted our bombs on. Our pop attack flow took my wingman and I in a 500 ft / 500 knots about 30 seconds behind the FAC-A so that he could mark the target and then turn back around and watch our attack to make sure we were pointed at the correct vehicle. If he needed to, he has the authority to have us abort the pass (not drop our bombs) and reattempt. As my wingman and I pulled up from 500 ft, we both called "tally smoke" and then rolled in one behind the other to hit the target. Our first try was successful and another good learning experience for me still being a young flight lead. I also got to shoot some rockets on another flight, so I'm now "rocket qualified."
Just outside the base is what's called "the alley." During Operation Northern Watch, there were many more military personnel and the locals depended on them to buy their products along the alley. You can buy a wide variety of things, but the most popular are the Turkish rugs. Many of the guys bought rugs, but I decided not to. I'm not much of a rug person at this point in my life. Depending on what time of the day someone is shopping along the alley, they might hear the Muslim call to prayer...it's a little strange initially, but after a few days it becomes a little more normal. The mosque above is the main one in Adana, the biggest city close to the base.
Tomorrow I'm leading two jets up to northern Germany for the Berlin Air Show at Shoenefeld Airport 8-13 June. My wingman is a good friend of mine, and our wives plan to fly up and do sight seeing and enjoy the airshow with us. If all goes well, we'll alternate days to travel a bit around the area. Airshows were always a great time for me growing up as a kid seeing all the planes...especially the fighter jets. Now, I'm leading a 2-ship to an airshow myself. Time to pack and get some sleep...God is good!
More Pictures:
Incirlik AB, Turkey
Saturday, May 24, 2008
London - Another Cross-Country
Like the last cross-country I went on, it pays to be a volunteer and in the right place at the right time. This time around, they were looking for another flight lead to fly as #3 to Lakenheath, UK and then on to Spain and southern Italy again to fight the Eurofighters. Well, after a short round of rock-paper-scissors with another guy in the squadron, I won and was in as #3. I was looking forward to this cross-country a lot because Capt Chapman, my good friend way back from OTS, is a WSO in the F-15E squadron at Lakenheath. He and I are in the picture below. The plan was to fly in on Thursday, do some dissimilar aircraft training (DACT) with the F-15 Eagles and then leave Friday night for Spain. Well due to some maintenance issues, two of us ended up staying the weekend and then flying back to Aviano on Monday after my wingman's jet was fixed. We ended up spending our time at my friend's place for the weekend and got to see London and Cambridge where many of England's well know colleges are. Well known men like Isaac Newton attended school here. There's also a popular pub called The Eagles Nest well known to fighter pilots because it's a place where the Royal Air Force and US Air Force flighter pilots from WWII went to relax after a stressful flight fighting the Germans. There are many names of pilots who flew burned into the ceiling by candles still readable. We also did what they call "punting" on the river that runs through Cambridge...it looks a lot like steering a gondola in Venice...no one fell in, but almost!
The next day, we headed to London to check out some of the well known sites in the city. We saw Big Ben, Tower Bridge (most think it's called London Bridge, but it's not) and a few other places. Compared to Rome, London is very different. I wish I'd have had more time to see St. Paul's cathedral and some of the WWII sites like Churchill's command bunker. The rest of the weekend we spent our time close to the base and waited for the jet to be fixed before flying home on Monday. Yet another paid trip by the Air Force...no complaints here!
More Pictures:
Cambridge & London
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Saturday, May 17, 2008
Rome
Rome, what an amazing city! Lana and I have seen a lot of great places here in Europe, but when it comes to cities with history Rome definitely takes 1st place. Since life had been so busy with the FLUG and working in the scheduling shop, I took a couple days off for my birthday so Lana and I could fly to Rome together. It was definitely a city we wanted to visit during our time here in Italy. We landed around 12 on Saturday, checked into our hotel which was close to the center of town, and got right to work seeing the sites. The first day we saw Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon, Piazza dal Popolo and the Spanish Steps. Many of the things we saw during our trip date back to B.C. times while others were built during the early A.D. time frame. It was also humbling to be walking through the very places Peter and Paul would have walked through as they were taken to prison and eventually martyred. It's amazing the structures that were built back 2000 years ago, especially mathematical feats such as the Pantheon. Rome is a much see city!
The second day was packed with more site seeing. After breakfast at the hotel we hit the road to see Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Roman Baths of Caracalla, and the Catacombs of San Callisto before making our way to the Circo Massimo and the Colosseum. Each stop had it's own interesting parts, but I thought the Romans baths and Colosseum were the highlights of the day. One our way to the catacombs we walked on one of the oldest Roman roads still in existence today called the Appian Way. The Roman elite really had it rough spending the day at the baths...the buildings they built for the baths were covered in marble and had pillars similar to what you'd see inside an old church somewhere in Europe today...pretty amazing. The baths didn't really compare to the Colosseum other than in age. While walking around inside, I imagined screen shots from the movie Gladiator where gladiatorial fights took place against wild animals and other gladiators as the crowds looked on and cheered. It's hard to imagine the types of things which were common back in the Roman times. Along with the games at the Colosseum, they used to burn Christians alive at the steak at night and use their burning bodies to light main roads throughout the city. On a lighter note, Lana and I enjoyed a nice meal out on the town that night before heading back to the hotel to get some rest for the next day.
Our last two days in Rome were spent seeing more of the Roman Forum and Palatino, the prison where they think Peter and Paul were held captive at different times, Piazza Navona and Farnese, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter's Basilica. Saint Peter's is the biggest Catholic church in the world and is quite a site to see. We decided to take a paid tour of the museum, the chapel and the church so that we'd get the most information possible. The museum is full of art, statutes and many other things the Popes have gathered over many years. Millions of dollars worth of stuff in the church's museum... The paintings of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel were very impressive...especially since they were recently cleaned bringing out the colors of the paintings. It's amazing the amount of art inside the small chapel...the ceiling and all the walls are covered. I don't have a picture of it since we weren't allowed to take any. From the chapel we moved into the church itself...wow! A huge church built supposedly on the site where Peter was martyred by being crucified upside down on a cross. I obviously don't know if it's the exact site or not, but the church is VERY impressive. However, there is so much glitz and glory surrounding the church that it seems the focus is in the wrong place. It's put on the Pope, Peter and other Saints instead of the real Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ. He seems to be merely a side thought...sad in a way. I personally think many people completely miss the truth of Jesus (Romans 10:9-10) and just see a beautiful church and the Pope. I don't mean to get on my soap box, but Lana and I both felt that way while we toured around. A great but disheartening place at the same time.
I don't have any complaints about my 28th birthday...Rome was definitely a good way to spend the weekend and a couple days off work. Like I said before, if you make it to Europe you need to take the time and see Rome!
The second day was packed with more site seeing. After breakfast at the hotel we hit the road to see Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Roman Baths of Caracalla, and the Catacombs of San Callisto before making our way to the Circo Massimo and the Colosseum. Each stop had it's own interesting parts, but I thought the Romans baths and Colosseum were the highlights of the day. One our way to the catacombs we walked on one of the oldest Roman roads still in existence today called the Appian Way. The Roman elite really had it rough spending the day at the baths...the buildings they built for the baths were covered in marble and had pillars similar to what you'd see inside an old church somewhere in Europe today...pretty amazing. The baths didn't really compare to the Colosseum other than in age. While walking around inside, I imagined screen shots from the movie Gladiator where gladiatorial fights took place against wild animals and other gladiators as the crowds looked on and cheered. It's hard to imagine the types of things which were common back in the Roman times. Along with the games at the Colosseum, they used to burn Christians alive at the steak at night and use their burning bodies to light main roads throughout the city. On a lighter note, Lana and I enjoyed a nice meal out on the town that night before heading back to the hotel to get some rest for the next day.
Our last two days in Rome were spent seeing more of the Roman Forum and Palatino, the prison where they think Peter and Paul were held captive at different times, Piazza Navona and Farnese, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter's Basilica. Saint Peter's is the biggest Catholic church in the world and is quite a site to see. We decided to take a paid tour of the museum, the chapel and the church so that we'd get the most information possible. The museum is full of art, statutes and many other things the Popes have gathered over many years. Millions of dollars worth of stuff in the church's museum... The paintings of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel were very impressive...especially since they were recently cleaned bringing out the colors of the paintings. It's amazing the amount of art inside the small chapel...the ceiling and all the walls are covered. I don't have a picture of it since we weren't allowed to take any. From the chapel we moved into the church itself...wow! A huge church built supposedly on the site where Peter was martyred by being crucified upside down on a cross. I obviously don't know if it's the exact site or not, but the church is VERY impressive. However, there is so much glitz and glory surrounding the church that it seems the focus is in the wrong place. It's put on the Pope, Peter and other Saints instead of the real Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ. He seems to be merely a side thought...sad in a way. I personally think many people completely miss the truth of Jesus (Romans 10:9-10) and just see a beautiful church and the Pope. I don't mean to get on my soap box, but Lana and I both felt that way while we toured around. A great but disheartening place at the same time.I don't have any complaints about my 28th birthday...Rome was definitely a good way to spend the weekend and a couple days off work. Like I said before, if you make it to Europe you need to take the time and see Rome!
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Rome
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