Airmen, pilots see their future at CAF Day 2006

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Airmen at Sheppard's two wings got a glimpse of their futures Nov. 17 at the 80th Flying Training Wing's annual Combat Air Force Day.

Four F-15s, including two from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and two from Tyndall AFB, Fla., two F-16s from Luke AFB, Ariz., an F-117 Nighthawk from Holloman, N.M., an A-10 Thunderbolt II from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., a B-1 Lancer from Dyess AFB, Texas, and a German Tornado arrived Thursday in preparation for the event.

The Air Force Demonstration Team from Seymour Johnson showed the awesome maneuverability of the F-15 during a mini airshow.

For some guests from the 82nd Training Wing, the opportunity to get up close to the B-1 made their day.

Airman Shawn Edwards, an F-16 fighter crew chief Airman-in-Training at the 362nd Training Squadron, said he was excited to see a couple of the aircraft he hasn't been able to see during his training. Most notably, he said the F-117 and B-1 were the two airframes he said he wanted to see.

"It's amazing how big it is," said the Pittsburgh native. He added he was surprised at how most of the components in the flight deck are similar to those of a fighter.

Airman Edwards said it also amazes him that the B-1 was designed to "fly on the deck," or close to the ground.

"This isn't like a heavy lift aircraft," he said. "This is on the front line of the fight."

Airman David Gruber, another F-16 crew chief in training who climbed into the B-1, agreed with Airman Edwards that there aren't too many overall differences in the two aircraft other than size, crew and where the payload is stored.

"All that stuff's the same as ours," he told Airman Edwards after touring the mammoth bomber.

International pilots also had an opportunity to look at the type of aircraft they'll fly with in the future as more missions become multi-national. German pilots had the additional chance to see the German Tornado.

German Cadets Marcus Temme and Christian Wiemers were two who took time to look at the Tornado. They also looked at some of the aircraft that make the Air Force's arsenal one of the most potent in the world.

"I think it's interesting to see aircraft up close," Cadet Temme said. "Most of the time, you only see aircraft in pictures."

Regardless the reason guests showed up for the event, Airman Edwards probably summed up the day the best.

"All of us love the jets," he said. "That's what had drawn us to the career field."