vol. 2, no. 1     Serving Southern Nevada’s military community, including Nellis, Creech and NTTR                   Jan. 12, 2018

                        An Aerotech news And review publicAtion • www.Aerotechnews.com

First female F-16 pilot graduates from USAF Weapons School

by Susan Garcia

Nellis AFB, Nev.

   As the U.S. Air Force closed its 70th year of break-                                                                                                                                                                    Air Force photograph by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Holmes
ing barriers, the U.S. Air Force Weapons School 16th
Weapons Squadron Class 17B graduated its first female     Col. Steven Behmer, U.S. Air Force Weapons School commandant, presents Capt. Clancy Morrical, 480th Fighter Squadron
F-16 Weapons Instructor Course pilot.                     instructor pilot, with her diploma at the Class 17B graduation ceremony Dec. 16, 2017. Morrical is the first female pilot
                                                          to graduate from the school’s F-16 Weapons Instructor Course.
   Capt. Clancy Morrical, 480th Fighter Squadron
instructor pilot assigned to Spangdahlem Air Base,           The weapons school’s pace challenges students to       of incredible. Everything is always structured and in
Germany, credited windows of opportunity that             manage their time wisely and learn quickly from the       order, and every detail is accounted for in planning,
opened when her tactical and leadership skills were       instructors’ constructive feedback, which focuses on      execution and debrief. Everything has a purpose. I
ready for the challenge.                                  areas for improvement. This allows students to stay on    hope she teaches more folks to be that way.”
                                                          track with the course’s dynamic timeline of complex
   Attending the USAFWS is not a decision to make         missions.                                                    Now that Morrical is a weapons school graduate,
lightly. The school produces doctorate-level tacti-                                                                 she intends to help others in the same way.
cal experts and leaders for the joint force, requiring       “It can be a challenge to stay positive,” said Morri-
students to demonstrate dedication and perseverance       cal. “You’re under a microscope the entire time -- you       “First, I’d have an honest conversation with [people
throughout a rigorous six-month course.                   get a lot of immediate feedback.”                         who want to attend] and find out why they want to go
                                                                                                                    to weapons school,” said Morrical. “They need to have
   “It’s timing,” Morrical said. “I’ve met so many won-      Walker described Morrical as having an incredible      their purpose clearly in mind because it will not be
derful women and men in the F-16 community who            mix of intensity and approachability, and said she will   the easiest thing they’ve ever done. Then, I’d tell them
are certainly very qualified to come to the weapons       have an incredible impact in the F-16 and the U.S.        the flying experiences will be the best they’ll probably
school, but they have other priorities in their lives,    Air Force.                                                ever have in their careers, and the instruction will be
professionally and personally.”                                                                                     second to none.”
                                                             “She is meticulous,” Walker explained. “It is kind
   Lt. Col. Hugh Walker, 16th WPS commander, said
he noticed Morrical’s outstanding capabilities and
leadership skills while he was at Spangdahlem AB
in 2015. He knew immediately it would not be long
before Morrical was selected for the weapons school.

   “I walked into the mission planning room, and she
had the entire mission planning cell around the table,”
said Walker. “She was giving direction, delegating
tasks, and leading a group of 30 men and women. You
don’t see that out of young pilots and mission com-
manders very often.

   “I talked with her commander at the time and
explained to him that she was an impressive instruc-
tor pilot,” Walker continued. “He then corrected
me because she was only a young flight lead. Pretty
incredible!”

   Morrical’s decision to attend the USAFWS was
grounded in her passion for education and her parents’
military service with the U.S. Army. With a bachelor’s
degree in education, she chose to become an instruc-
tor pilot with the U.S. Air Force, rather than teach in
the private sector. Attending weapons school was the
next logical step in honing her teaching skills as well
as an opportunity to integrate with other squadrons
and platforms.

   “The 16th WPS started working with the intelli-
gence and air battle manager squadrons right away,”
said Morrical. “It was surprising in a positive way to
have the opportunity to get to know and work with
those units. Other than in a Red Flag exercise, we don’t
get to work with them that closely to see that we’re all
working hard to achieve the same goal.”

INSIDE: Commentary - 2; News - 3-8; Veterans - 10; Nellis Living - 15 & 16