Page 9 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt, March 2021

8 Thunderbolt Photo Feature March 2021 9
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62nd FS pilots, maintainers prepare for

by Airman 1st Class
DominiC Tyler

56th Fighter Wing
U.S. and international student pilots enrolled
in the F-35A Lightning II B-course are prepar-
ing for Red Flag Exercise 21-2, one of the largest
aerial combat simulations the U.S. Air Force has
to offer.
Three U.S. pilots and five Norwegian pilots
assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron began B-
course July 28, 2020. During the 9-month course,
instructors transform the student pilots into
combat-ready Airmen for the F-35A Lightning II.
“B-coursers are typically the newest students,
and the F-35 is their first fighter jet,” said Capt.
Alexander Young, 62nd FS F-35 instructor pilot.
“With this course, these student pilots will learn
and develop the habit patterns they will likely
use for the rest of their careers.”
By the end of the B-course, each student will
be fully qualified in the F-35.
Young said Red Flag offers the students expo-
sure to simulated combat operations in a safe,
controlled environment. The students will employ
the tactics they have learned in B-course during
the training.
Developed in 1975 to better prepare the Air
Force for combat, Red Flag is the Air Force’s
premiere air-to-air combat training exercise
conducted at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. A
Boger prepares for flight Jan. 29 at Luke Air Force Base. The vision of the 62nd FS is to de- typical Red Flag exercise fields 60 or more aircraft
velop professional fighter pilots and leaders for the United States Air Force and its partners. including fighters, bombers, reconnaissance, air-
lift, air refueling and search and rescue aircraft
from the U.S. and international partner nations.
“Our class has been working toward Red Flag
since we started the B-course back in August,”
said 1st Lt. Tyler Dockum, 62nd FS F-35 B-course
student pilot. “It’s awesome to see all the effort
that goes into making this course happen.”
Young said that though these students are
working hard to prepare for Red Flag, preparing
for this event would not be possible without the
hard work of the maintenance team.
Capt. Uddit Patel, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance
Unit officer in charge, said the 62nd FS has in-
creased sortie production in the weeks leading up
to the exercise to ensure the B-course students
are fully prepared for the experience, and main-
tainers have been working behind the scenes
ensuring the aircraft are available for the pilots.
“Our mission at the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance
Unit is to provide safe, reliable aircraft to our
fighter squadron,” says Patel. “We have ensured
the jets are in the best flying condition. Red Flag
is also a great way for our maintainers to gain
experience and show their skills.”
During Red Flag, pilots and maintainers plan
and execute a simulated major combat operation
with dissimilar aircraft and an array of experi-
enced Airmen from around the world.
“To have multiple different nationalities in one
room executing a large force exercise together is
rare to see anywhere else,” said Young. “Red Flag
is a chance for our students to put what they’ve
learned so far to the test and expand their depth
of experience in operations with a lot of different
aircraft.”
Photos by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler He added that the 62nd FS and 62nd AMU
First Lt. Steven Boger, 62nd Fighter Squadron student pilot, greets Staff Sgt. Thomas Penny, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief, and Airman 1st Class Taylor Jones, 62nd AMU assistant crew chief, before lean on one another to achieve Luke’s mission
a flight Jan. 29, at Luke Air Force Base. Boger is part of a 9-month B-course F-35A Lightning II training class, which trains student pilots to become fully mission qualified in the F-35. The 62nd AMU’s mission is Penny (left) and Jones perform a post-flight inspection Jan. 29 at Luke Air Force Base. The in training the world’s greatest fighter pilots and
to provide safe, reliable aircraft to the 62nd Fighter Squadron to enable Luke’s flying training mission. 62nd AMU consists of 15 U.S. aircraft, seven Norwegian aircraft and three Italian aircraft. combat-ready Airmen.