Page 5 - Desert Lightning News, So. AZ Edition, Aug. 4 2017

Desert Lightning News August 2017 5 www.aerotechnews.com/davis-monthanafb
Members of the Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Dem- onstration Team greet attendees JuLy 15 of the F-AIR COLOMBIA 2017 in Rionegro, Colombia. The dem- onstration team, along with Airmen from other units across the country, visited Colombia to showcase the capabilities of the U.S. Air Force while fostering a posi- tive relationship between the U.S. and Colombia.
KC-135 Stratotanker from Tinker to provide aerial refuel- ing for the fighter jets on the way to and from Colombia as well as for use as static displays. The U.S. also provided four F-16s for the air show; two from McEntire to be used as static displays and two from Shaw to be flown by the
ADS
Story and photos by Staff Sgt. ZADE VADNAIS
F-16 Viper Demonstration Team Public Affairs
RIONEGRO, COLOMBIA — A gentle but persistent breeze flows through the lush South American valley, of- fering respite from the often-oppressive heat its American visitors are used to.
The serene beauty of the Colombian landscape is sharply contrasted by the roar of an F-16CM Fighting Falcon as it takes to the skies, the deafening sound of its engine met with cheers of seemingly equal volume from the crowd of approximately 80,000 people who have come to see the jet in action.
Airmen from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base; McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C.; Shaw AFB, S.C.; Tinker AFB, Okla.; and Travis AFB, Calif., traveled to Rionegro, Colombia July 13 to 16 to participate in the F-AIR CO- LOMBIA 2017 air show.
The trip was intended to showcase the capabilities of the U.S. Air Force while fostering a positive relationship be- tween the people and armed forces of the U.S. and Colombia.
“Colombia has a really good relationship with the U.S.,” said Maj. Carlos Nivia, director of U.S. Air Force mission operations at the U.S. embassy in Colombia. “They’re one of our closest allies in the region. We like to strengthen that mutually beneficial relationship by supporting them and having a presence here when we can. Being here also helps the Colombian people get a better idea of what the U.S. does and what we’re capable of.”
The bi-annual air show featured static displays and aerial demonstrations from the Colombian, Brazilian, and U.S. Air Forces.
The U.S. brought a KC-10 Extender from Travis and a
U.S. Air Force Maj. John Waters, Air Combat Com- mand F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot, shakes hands with Tech. Sgt. Stephen Mullins, ACC F-16 Viper Demonstration Team avion- ics specialist, before takeoff at the F-AIR COLOMBIA 2017 air show in Rionegro, Colombia. Waters and his teammates gave the Colombian people a better understanding of the U.S. Air Force’s capabilities by performing four aerial demonstrations in support of the biannual air show.
Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demonstration Team. “I always enjoy working with our allied nations,” said Maj. John Waters, ACC F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot. “Each nation’s armed forces bring a unique perspective to our efforts, but it was the people we met here who really made this experience great. The crowds at the show were by far the most enthusiastic I have ever experienced and the Colombian service members we
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