Page 8 - Edwards AFB Desert Wings 6-12-15

8 Desert Wings June 12, 2015
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Cadets get taste of life at Edwards
his junior year and Operation Air were contracted in the first place,”
by Rebecca Amber
Force is a requirement for gradu- said Conway.
Staff writer
ation. “Being at Edwards, I’ve experi-
Operation Air Force gives Air Cook shared that he particularly ence a lot that I haven’t seen be-
Force ROTC and Air Force Acad- fore. There’s Columbus Air Force
emy cadets an opportunity to ex- enjoyed visiting TPS because he Base near Mississippi State and
perience the life ahead of them. hopes to someday be a pilot and it’s nothing like Edwards. This
possibly a test pilot. is the desert and the Test Pilot
On June 2, the first of two School, I think, is really cool.”
groups of cadets arrived at Ed- Cadet Courtney Conway is go-
wards for a two-week stay in the ing into her sophomore year at Operation Air Force was created
high desert. Mississippi State University. As a in 2004 following a mandate from
member of the Air Force ROTC, the Secretary of the Air Force and
During their trip, they visited she hopes for a place in the Air the Chief of Staff to the Air Force.
the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot Force Office of Special Investiga- The program is designed to create
School, the combined test forces, tions. a clearer picture of the roles and
the Air Force Research Laborato- responsibilities of an officer prior
ry Detachment 7, the 412th Force “We’re here to experience what to being commissioned into the
Support Squadron, the 412th the Air Force life is like; kind of a U.S. Air Force.
Maintenance Group and much means to help us know what we’re
more. getting ourselves into, why we

“They’re the future leaders of Staff Sgt. Kelvin Mills (right), 412th Aircraft Maintenace Squadron, teaches
the Air Force and this trip is a tool (left to right) Cadets Casen Askew, Andrea Watson and David Walker how
for them to understand what their to perform operational checks for a landing gear installation on an F-16.
future roles and responsibilities

will be,” said Capt. Greg Thom-

as, 412th Aircraft Maintenance

Squadron, Falcon Aircraft Main-

tenance officer in charge. “They

haven’t selected their job yet, so

this is a good gauge to see what

exactly that job does.”

The program sends cadets to a

wide variety of bases with differ-

ent missions.

“Edwards is unique, so the mis-

sion is going to be a very different

experience than what any of their

other classmates go to at any other

bases,” said Thomas.

Cadet Jacob Cook is a comput- Air Force photographs by Rebecca Amber
er science major at the Air Force
Academy and has been given the Air Force ROTC and Air Force Academy cadets arrived at Edwards June 2

opportunity to be the cadet-in- for a two-week walk in an Air Force officer’s shoes. In smaller groups, the

charge for this visit. Along with cadets were able to see various parts of the mission like pre-flight checks Cadets Amelia Watson and Jackson Wilson watch as routine maintenance
all of the Air Force Academy ca- with pilots. Lockheed Martin F-35 Pilot Mark Ward answers questions from is done on an F-16.
dets, Cook is in the summer of two cadets just before boarding for a sortie.
Marines partner with U.K. allies in F-35 operational test
Hornet, and gradually phase out legacy air-
by Maj. Paul Greenberg craft over the coming decades. Navy photograph by POC William Tonacchio
USS Wasp
“By 2020, U.K. combat airpower will Sailors and distinguished visitors watch an F-35B Lightning II aircraft conduct vertical takeoff
As the first operational test of the F-35B consist of Typhoon and F-35B Lightning II, and landing flight operations aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). Wasp
Lightning II took place aboard the USS a highly potent and capable mix of fourth is conducting the F-35B first phase operational testing to include flight deck operations,
Wasp recently, service members from the and fifth generation fighter aircraft. With maintenance operations and logistical supply chain operations at sea.
United Kingdom are working alongside Typhoon already established as one of the
their U.S. Navy and Marine Corps counter- premier multi-role fighters in the world, the F-35 will also allow unprecedented access Mathieson.
parts to assess the integration of the F-35B F-35 brings a complementary next-gener- to very high-threat environments, allowing During the two week operational test, the
into amphibious military operations. ation level of survivability and lethality. the U.K. to conduct operations across the
This will ultimately provide the United full range of operational scenarios, day or Marine Corps and U.K. counterparts are as-
“United Kingdom participation in the Kingdom with an unprecedented level of night, in fair or inclement weather,” said sessing the integration of the F-35B while
F-35 program has been absolutely critical capability in a single platform,” said Royal
to our success,” said Lt. Gen. Chris Bog- Navy Lt. Cmdr. Neil Mathieson, the U.K.’s See F-35, Page 9
dan, Program Executive Officer for the F-35B Ship Integration Lead.
F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office.
“Since the beginning, U.K. test pilots and A mechanical engineer by trade, Mathie-
engineers have been fully integrated and son is working with the Marine Corps aboard
work shoulder-to shoulder with us as we USS Wasp for the duration of OT-1.
deliver the F-35 to the warfighter.”
Mathieson explained that a range of ad-
Sixteen Royal Navy and Royal Air Force vanced sensors, combined with increased
members embedded aboard the ship during processing power, enables the F-35B to fuse
the operational tests. They serve as F-35 the vast array of information collected into
operational assessors, ship integration team a single picture. This equips the F-35 pilot
members, aircraft technicians and mainte- with a level of situational awareness previ-
nance crews. ously unavailable within a fighter cockpit
and an ability to share this instantaneous,
The Royal Navy’s vision for tactical in- high-fidelity view of ongoing operations
tegration of the F-35B into their current ar- with other platforms at sea, in the air, or on
senal is similar to the Marine Corps’ plan the ground through advanced datalinks.
to integrate the F-35 with legacy aircraft,
such as the AV-8B Harrier and the F/A-18 “The unique, low observable nature of the