Page 4 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt - Luke AFB History and Heritage, March 18 2022

4 March 18, 2022 History of Luke http://www.luke.af.mil Thunderbolt History of Luke Facebook.com/LukeThunderbolt 5
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March 18, 2022
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Thunderbirds take flight at Luke Nearly 40 years of Fighting Falcons over Luke

by mand’s 3600th Combat Crew Train- Capts. Robert Kanaga, William Brock by for the United States and allied nations.
rick GriSET Jr. ing Wing at Luke Air Force Base. The and Robert McCormick were also on JENNA BiGHAm Using the approximately 77 assigned
following March, his brother arrived. base. McCormick had been a member F-16s, including U.S. and foreign military
56th Fighter Wing Historian Aerotech News staff
Catledge, a WWII fighter pilot and of Air Defense Command’s Sabre sales, roughly 188 F-16 pilots graduate
Almost 70 years ago, on May 25, POW, also arrived at Luke about the Dancers demonstration team. The F-16 Fighting Falcon has been a annually, and go on to join the combat air
1953, the 3600th U.S. Air Force Air same time as Charles Pattillo to com- staple of the flightline at Luke Air Force forces following completion of their train-
Demonstration Flight activated. mand one of the training squadrons. See THUNDERBiRDS, Page 12 Base, Arizona, for nearly 40 years. The ing at Luke.
The history of the now famous first F-16 arrived in December of 1982, as Prior to the arrival of the F-35, the wing
Thunderbirds began at the end of the base began phasing out the F-4s and had several fighter squadrons flying the
World War II. they’ve been flying the skies above the West F-16. Today, some of those now fly the F-35,
The U.S. Army Air Forces’ fighter Valley ever since. with just two U.S. squadrons still flying the
arm only had piston engine aircraft. The F-16 is a compact, multi-role fighter F-16, the 310th and 309th Fighter Squad-
The first jet fighter was just coming aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has rons, along with two FMS squadrons.
into the inventory. After the war, proven itself in air-to-air combat and air- In 2021, pilots combined for a total of
a number of commands decided to to-surface attack. It provides a relatively 9,898 flight hours in the F-16, with almost
develop teams to demonstrate the low-cost, high-performance weapon system 8,000 sorties flown.
capabilities and flying precision of
their pilots and new jet aircraft.
In 1948 in Europe, Capt. Charles
Pattillo, a WWII 352nd Fighter Group Airman 1st Class Brooke Moeder
fighter pilot, helped organize the An F-16D Fighting Falcon from the 310th Fighter Squadron takes off,
U.S. Air Force aerial demonstration Dec. 15, 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Luke AFB graduates
team, the Skyblazers, where he flew more than 188 F-16 fighter pilots annually. There are four F-35A Light-
left wing. His twin brother, Capt. ning II fighter squadrons and four F-16 fighter squadrons that directly
Courtesy photo
Cuthbert Pattillo, flew in the same Capt. Cuthbert Pattillo, left; 1st Lt. Aubry Brown, stand- support the base’s mission of training the world’s greatest fighter pi-
WWII group until he was shot down ing; Capt. Robert McCormick, middle, Maj. Richard Cat- lots.
and became a prisoner of war. Start- ledge, front middle; and Capt. Charles Pattillo. August
ing in 1948, he was assigned to the 1953. A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing,
same fighter wing as his brother and Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, flies over Phoenix during the NASCAR
also helped organize and fly in the Cup Series Championship Nov. 7, 2021. F-16 pilots assigned to the 56th
Skyblazers. LEFT: The original Thunderbird pilots, from left: Capts. and 944th FW, which train U.S. Air Force F-16 pilots, performed a 4-ship
In August 1952, Charles Pattillo Robert Kanaga and Charles Pattillo; Maj. Richard Cat- formation flyover at the conclusion of the U.S. National Anthem at the
was assigned to Air Training Com- Courtesy photo ledge; Capts. Robert McCormick and Cuthbert Pattillo. Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler Phoenix Raceway to kick-off the championship race.

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