Kunsan LFE / IPUG - 25% Complete

Every few months at Kunsan we have what is called a Large Formation Exercise (LFE) similar to those I flew during my time in Belgium at TLP last October. They involve many different types of aircraft flying together in a simulated war scenario "fighting" into "bad guy land", shooting the "bad guys" who are airborne enroute to the target area and the doing the same off target back to "good guy land." Today we had one of those LFEs which included 1 KC-135 tanker, 8 F-15Cs, 16 F-16Cs, 4 F-18D Hornets, 4 A-10Cs and the 8 more F-16Cs flying as the "bad guys." So, 40 fighter jets and 1 tanker makes for some good flying. Sadly I was working in the tower today, but I snapped some good pics and video for everyone's viewing pleasure. Later tonight at the Officer's Club we'll get together, talk fighter pilot talk (with our hands) and discuss how it all went.

A quick update on my IPUG; I've now completed 3 of the 12 required flights, so things are moving along...25% of the way done. The base had a week long operational readiness inspection (ORI) 20-24 April, so I lost a week of IPUG there. After Lana and I return from the Philippines I'll have a few more IPUG flights before going to Kadena Air Base, Japan the first week of June to hopefully shoot a real AIM-120 air-to-air missile (I'm keeping my fingers crossed since there's not enough for everyone to shoot one). I also plan to do some dissimilar air combat training (DACT) against the F-15Cs stationed at the base for an IPUG ride or two!

It's time to finish laundry, get organized and pack for the Philippines...Lana's on her way to the Munich airport as I'm typing this and I'll meet her in Seoul early tomorrow morning! Check back for pics from our Philippine trip later this month.

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6 Month Extension Denied By AFPC

About a week ago now, I received an email from the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) titled, "CAPT FERGUSON, 6 MONTH EXTENTION DENIED" meaning I'll be moving around January 2010 after being at Kunsan 12 months. I was surprised at this email since both my Operations Group Commander and the base Commander had signed my paperwork approving I stay here another 6 months like I mentioned a couple posts ago. My intent of wanting to extend here at Kunsan from 12 to 18 months was to become an instructor pilot in the F-16 before moving to another assignment. If an F-16 pilot who has had a previous 3 year flying assignment (like I did at Aviano) leaves Kunsan after a year still a flight lead, the assignment choices and opportunities in today's Air Force are very slim or not ones most would look forward to. Some of these include becoming an Air Liaison Officer (ALO) with the Army, flying a Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), an RC-12 or going back to teach brand new pilots in the T-6 or T-38. There is a small chance of flying at Luke AFB to teach the brand new F-16 pilots, but this is rare anymore as a flight lead.

My desire is to keep flying the F-16 and continue to be part of the tactical Air Force. Thankfully God's timing was not my own and I started the IPUG a few weeks ago (I thought the summer would be the earliest) and should finish by the end of June. So, He has allowed me to reach my goal of finishing IPUG before leaving Kunsan while minimizing my time apart from Lana! In the end, it's all worked out for the better in our case. I'll be putting in my "dream sheet" sometime around August/September listing my assignment preferences. Based upon my ranking among the others up for an assignment and what's available at the time, AFPC will then assign me to a new location. Lana and I are discussing where we'd like to go next as our desire is to start a family soon. We really enjoyed Europe and wouldn't mind going back there, but at the same time the USA would be nice too...thankfully we have another 4 months or so to finalize our "dream sheet."

Well, I should get back to studying for my next instructor pilot upgrade flight tomorrow. I made it through the first one after a couple tries and have 2 more this week along with a simulator flight on Friday. Once the upcoming and busy week is over with, I'll be meeting Lana in Seoul and we'll be on our way to the Philippines for a 2 week holiday. We're looking forward to getting away and relaxing on the beach together! Take care and fly safe...

Lana's Surprise Visit

Yesterday after a long day's work, I returned to my dorm room a little after 9. After putting my things down on the counter and taking off my jacket I heard, "Hey Babe" from somewhere. At first I thought I had left the TV on or was imagining things. It took me a few seconds, but I realized Lana had surprised me and was getting some rest in bed after a long flight in from Munich. She had actually worked the Lufthansa flight to Seoul, checked in at the crew hotel and then took a two hour high speed train to visit me for a day here at Kunsan. It was a great surprise after a long difficult week! We slept in, got some exercise, ate some chicken bolgogi and then went for a hike at a nearby resevoir. The weather is still fairly cold here, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I just returned home after taking her back to the train station as she flies again with Lufthansa tomorrow. A short but great visit! I love you Schatz...danke!!

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Korea - Mar 09

Instructor Pilot Upgrade / Japan Cross-Country

The day before leaving on the cross-country to Japan, my squadron commander told me I had been selected to start the instructor pilot upgrade (IPUG). This was great news since one of my main goals while here in Korea is to finish the instructor pilot upgrade before moving on to another assignment. I'm looking forward to teaching younger pilots how to use the F-16 to its full potential...something I'm still getting better at myself. I'm actually starting the upgrade a little sooner than expected since some are here almost a year before starting. Timing plays a big part as it depends on how many instructors the squadron has and how many will be moving on in the near future. So, in a few months I'll be a new instructor pilot in the F-16!

The cross-country through Japan didn't exactly go as planned. Our route of flight was to Misawa Air Base on Friday and then to Kadena Air Base on Saturday stopping in Iwakuni Navy Base on the way. Saturday morning one of the jets had a maintenance problem which we were initially told would be fixed by the next day...well, that turned into the whole weekend. Our leadership here at Kusan wanted us to stay together as a 4-ship, so we enjoyed good sushi and Indian food (yes, there was a great Indian food restaurant right outside the base gate!) over the weekend as well as some good March madness games on TV. I had some time to hit the gym as well before flying back to Kunsan on Monday. Hopefully I'll get a chance in the future for another cross-country to Kadena since I have a cousin stationed there now and also because it's warmer and nicer than Kunsan.

Well, that should bring me up to date on all the latest from Korea...I've submitted paperwork to stay here through the summer of 2010, and I think it's been approved. So, only 15 more months and I'll be on to a different assignment. Most are probably wondering why I did that, but the short of it is US Air Force F-16s are slowly being retired to make way for the F-35 replacement. There are also other planes many pilots are being assigned to these days (UASs, RC-12s, etc) to help in the Iraq / Afghanistan wars. I want to keep flying the F-16 and this should help when I'm considered for my next assignment. Lana and I would like an assignment where we can settle for awhile and start our family together. We realize it's all in God's hands where the Air Force takes us, so I'll do the best I can with the abilities He's given!

Weekend Trip To Jeonju (전주시)

Last weekend Lana and I took a day trip to Jeonju, a town about 40 minutes to the east of Kunsan. Jeonju is known for good food, sports and festivals. It's also known for is good strawberries, even during the winter months. This was indeed the case as we bought and enjoyed fresh strawberries from a roadside stand. The weather for our trip was great, and on our list of things to do was visit another Korean palace, check out a European like church and a well known shopping center. It was nice to get off the base and enjoy a little Korean culture together.

The name of the palace we visited was called Jeonju Gyeonggi-jeon, another palace which was lived in by royal families in the past. It was similar to the one from Seoul, but much smaller. Right next to the palace was the Catholic church...for a second Lana and I thought we were in Europe again, only if that were true! By the time we finished looking at the church, we were both quite cold so decided to get some tea in a nearby cafe. Near the cafe was the shopping center, and after a little time looking around it was time for dinner. We ate at an Outback Steakhouse of all places...the steak I had tasted great and was a nice change to some of the Korean food I've had.

Well, that's it for now...I'm going on a cross-country trip through Japan next weekend so I'll update everyone when I get a chance after we get back.