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SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFPN) -- A pilot assigned to the 78th Fighter Squadron here was killed when his F-16 fighter aircraft crashed March 19, in an area north of Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas.

Maj. Brison Phillips, a member of the F-16 East Coast Demonstration Team, also known as the Ninth Air Force Demonstration Team, crashed while performing during an Air Show 2000 at the naval station.

Phillips was an instructor pilot and mission commander with more than 2,600 flying hours, including more than 2,300 in the F-16. A 13-year Air Force veteran, Phillips received his commission as a distinguished graduate of Texas A&M University Reserve Officers Training Corps Program.

A board of Air Force officers has been appointed to investigate the accident. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service)

FORT WORTH, Texas (AFPN) -- Air Force Reserve Command F-16 fighter aircraft have always had the capability to be armed and dangerous. Now, they are even more lethal, with the addition of the Litening II Precision Attack Targeting System.

The 301st Fighter Wing from the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base here accepted delivery of the first four Litening II targeting pods in late February.

The pods provide F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft with the most technologically advanced, precision-strike capability. Pilots are able to identify targets at long-range and drop extremely accurate, laser-guided weapons in a variety of environments.

This technology allows pilots to operate at much higher altitudes, further reducing their exposure to ground threats. Using a forward-looking infrared -- FLIR -- camera, this high-resolution, thermal-imaging system gives Litening II the ability to detect and identify targets night or day. Another camera, the charge couple device television, enhances the search for targets during daylight operations.

Air Force Reserve Command officials say AFRC is the first Air Force command to own such state of the art technology. The Air National Guard is also purchasing the pods, which were developed in a collaborative effort with Northrop Grumman Corp. and Rafael. Industry experts recognize the Litening II pods as extremely reliable with a very low life-cycle cost.

"Last year, Air Force Reserve Command F-16 pilots, participating in Operation Northern Watch with targeting pods (LANTIRN system) borrowed from Air Combat Command, became the first members of a reserve component to employ precision-guided munitions during contingency operations," said Maj. Gen. John A. Bradley, who oversees Reserve F-16 units. The commander of 10th Air Force said the need for AFRC to have its own equipment to train with and use in combat became more significant as operations tempo continued to increase and regional commanders-in-chief required a greater use of precision-guided munitions.

This year, Reserve F-16s will use their own equipment, Litening II pods, during another deployment in support of Operation Northern Watch.

"The entire complement of Litening II pods will be delivered to all four of our F-16 units by this fall," said Lt. Col. Frank Anderson, 10th Air Force project officer.

"We now have and own the finest equipment available for precision-guided munitions delivery," Bradley said. "This greatly improves our combat capability and survivability for our aviators, which they so deserve. This is a great day for the Air Force and our nation." (Courtesy of AFRC News Service from a 10th Air Force news release)

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFPN) -- Air Force Reserve Command instructor pilots are moving into another weapons system -- the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The 301st Fighter Squadron was re-activated March 3rd as part of AFRC's 944th Fighter Wing, a Reserve associate unit to Luke's 56th FW -- an Air Education and Training Command unit.

Reserve instructor pilots from the 301st FS will fly 56th FW F-16s to train active-duty student pilots for their multi-role mission. The Reserve instructor-pilot associate program is a joint AFRC and AETC initiative, designed to help with the Air Force's current active-duty pilot retention problem.

Luke is not the only base supporting AETC with Reserve instructor pilots to ease the current pilot shortage. The 340th Flying Training Group at Randolph AFB, Texas, and its five flying training squadrons provide associate instructor pilots on T-1, T-37, AT-38 and T-38 aircraft. At Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., the 94th Airlift Wing is gearing up to train C-130 aircrews. The wing converted from a tactical airlift mission to a training mission in October.

"Establishing an IP associate program (at Luke) will expand America's total fighter pilot force, capture invested training dollars and help alleviate our active-duty pilot shortage," said Gen. Lloyd W. Newton, AETC commander. "Additionally, if we are going to fly and fight together, it's logical that we train together."
Luke's IP associate program will be phased in over a two and a half-year period, according to Lt. Col. Pat Shay, 301st FS commander, who is a traditional reservist and airline pilot.

"We'll be putting approximately 74 pilots into the 56th Fighter Wing -- about 14 into each of Luke's five participating FTU fighter squadrons and four into 301st Fighter Squadron senior supervisory roles," he said. "The plan is to have full implementation of the Luke AFRC associate unit by July 2002.

"The partnership with the Reserve and active duty is a good way to strike a balance that allows the Air Force to take advantage of the AFRC resident F-16 experience, while trying to bridge the current pilot gap," Shay said.

Col. Craig Ferguson, 944th FW commander, agrees. "The Reserve associate program is a logical extension of the expeditionary aerospace force concept. It gives the total force the option of capturing experienced fighter pilots who leave active duty but who still want to be a part of the Air Force Reserve. It also allows more active-duty fighter pilots to fill positions at operational assignments around the world."

Maj. Scott Davis, the first Reserve instructor pilot hired for this program, is attached to the active-duty wing's 63rd FS. "I've been an F-16 instructor pilot for more than six years," Davis said. "This is a great opportunity for the Reserve and active duty to work side-by-side as part of the total force. We are capturing extremely experienced instructors, pilots with a wide background and many with recent combat time, and keeping that experience in the F-16 community, where it otherwise would have been lost once they separated from active duty."

The Reserve will have administrative and limited operational control of its pilots through the 301st FS commander and the 10th Air Force commander, while most operational control will reside with the 56th FW. (Courtesy of AFRC News Service from a 944th FW news release)

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) -- An F-16D Fighting Falcon, assigned tothe 347th Wing's 69th Fighter Squadron here, crashed Feb. 16 at
approximately 11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The accident occurred approximately five miles north of Donalsonville, Ga. Both pilots, Maj. Charles B. Kearney and 1st Lt. Christopher Hutchins, ejected safely and have returned to Moody AFB clinic for medical evaluation.

At the time of the accident, the F-16D pilots were performing night vision goggle upgrade training. A board of officers will meet to investigate the accident. Additional details will be provided as soon as they become available. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service)

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFPN) -- An F-16C Fighting Falcon assigned to the 63rd Fighter Squadron here crashed on the Barry M. Goldwater Range at approximately 12:10 p.m., Feb. 16. The pilot, Maj. Anthony Barrell, safely ejected and was transported to the hospital here, where he was evaluated for
medical treatment and released.

At the time of the crash, the aircraft was flying on an air-to-air training mission over the Goldwater Range. Barrell was fourth in a formation of four F-16s. During maneuvers, prior to the start of the aerial engagement, the pilot stated he had a problem and turned toward Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field to recover. En route to Gila Bend, he safely ejected. The aircraft crashed in a remote section of the desert, southwest of Gila Bend, Ariz. The aircraft was configured for an air-to-air training mission and unarmed. It was carrying an inert training missile.

Barrell is an experienced F-16 pilot going through the transition course to re-qualify to fly in the F-16. He has more than 2,400 total flying hours including 2,200 in the F-16 and AT-38. A board of Air Force officers will convene to investigate the cause of the accident. (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) -- Air Force Reserve Command F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and Luke AFB, Ariz., sharpened
their air-to-air combat skills against interservice rivals recently. Five F-16s and 140 reservists from the 419th Fighter Wing left their nest in Utah, commonly known as the Beehive State, looking to put a sting on Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, San Diego, Jan. 22 to Feb. 12. Another five jets and 44 reservists from Luke's 944th FW arrived at Miramar Jan. 31, for two weeks of the same dissimilar air combat training.

The DACT deployments to Miramar provide Reserve pilots an opportunity to further refine their air-to-air combat skills against Marines aviators and their F/A-18s. More importantly, it gave a preview of the joint force structure under which they will support future aerospace expeditionary force deployments.

"The objective, as outlined under AEF, is to deploy a rapid and responsive capability that can meet very specific needs of theater commanders -- a tailored force, if you will," said Capt. Tom Klingensmith, a pilot and project officer for the 419th FW deployment. "In essence, this deployment provided us with a chance to evaluate our 'go to war package' while also enhancing our overall readiness. It was great training and a true learning experience for the pilots -- a must to keep our skills and minds sharp with AEF on the horizon, and the continued emphasis on managing operations tempo."

The deployment also gave the reservists added insight on the challenges of joint combat operations. The pilots from Hill flew 100 sorties during their three-week deployment, and Luke crews flew 72 sorties during their two-week stay at Miramar. The VFMA-134th (Smokes) served as hosts, although the VFMA-323rd (Death Rattlers) and VFMA-242nd (Bats) also served as opposing forces to the Reserve pilots. A VFMA is a Marine Corps fixed-wing fighter attack squadron.

Overall, the training demonstrated once again how subtle the differences are among aviators in the fighter business, according to one 419th FW pilot. "As far as aggressiveness and skill, there isn't that much of a difference when flying against pilots in dissimilar fighter aircraft," said Capt. Chris Morgan, 419th FW pilot. "The challenge is assessing their skill levels and what they can do against the aircraft we're flying. Trying to anticipate each other's next move and using what each service knows about the other is imperative to success. Whether we're the aggressor or the defender, the bottom line is that you have to use that knowledge to ensure that you're always one step ahead of your opponent."

These pilots and others like them, who were looking to gain a competitive edge from the aircraft, were probably hard-pressed in finding one. "There isn't a lot of difference between the F-16 and F/A-18, as far as performance," said Marine Corps Maj. Mark Dahl of the VMFA-134th. "The F-16 has better thrust per weight ratio, and the F/A-18 is less limited in angles of attack." While their aircraft may have touted similar capabilities, the warfighting doctrine of the two services offered a sharp contrast in philosophy.

"The missions between the Air Force and Marines are different," said Marine Corps Maj. Vince Wawrzynski, VMFA-134th pilot. "The Air Force usually fights for air supremacy in a broader area. The Marines mission for a fixed-wing squadron is air supremacy for a centralized location, usually over ground troops who are sometimes guys we know personally. We give close air support for friendly forces, so they may attack and procure specific locations on the ground."

Wawrzynski added that the unique missions each unit trains for only increases the training value from joint exercises like the one at Miramar. "Because our primary mission is close-air and ground support, the majority of our training focuses on air-to-ground tactics. Fighting the guys from Air Force Reserve Command is invaluable for us, as it advances our skills in air-to-air training and in dissimilar air combat tactics," he said.

Another challenge the Reserve pilots faced was adapting to the type of training range at Miramar. Marine pilots use an over-water range located near Mexico -- approximately 60 miles southwest of Miramar and over the Pacific Ocean. The range is smaller in overall size than the ranges where the pilots from Hill and Luke routinely train.

"There are no ground references when flying over water; you have to rely on internal navigation systems to pinpoint your location," said Maj. Ed Goggins, 419th FW pilot. "When flying over land such as the Utah Test and Training Range you have terrain landmarks, so you know your exact location. In the UTTR, those terrain features are often mountains, which allow pilots to 'hide out' until the right time to attack. These terrain features are equally beneficial in the area of radar deception."

In the words of one 419th FW pilot, the difference in terrain all boils down to a matter of trust. "Sometimes when the sky is clear and the water is calm, you can't tell the sky from the water," said Klingensmith. "You have to force yourself to trust your altimeter and instruments to know the direction your heading." The Miramar deployment provided opportunity and experience for non-flyers, too, from administrative specialists to crew chiefs and everyone in-between.

First sergeants made billeting reservations and ensured everyone had a room, transportation and rental cars for the duration of the deployment. Life support technicians were responsible for the pilot's flying gear, and making sure anti-exposure suits were dry and ready for the pilots to wear for the next day's mission. Resource managers tracked flying hours and kept pilots informed of weather conditions and alternate airports at which to land in the event of an emergency.

Maintainers kept pace with the daily flying schedule and helped out in other areas whenever possible. For example, Tech. Sgt. Mel Ahrens, integrated avionics technician with the 419th FW, contributed by repairing flight controls, radar and communication systems, and internal navigation systems. "Whether it's Miramar or Turkey, if I'm not repairing a jet, then I'm out helping to (launch the aircraft). In case something does go wrong, I'm there to try and fix the problem before the pilot has to abort the mission."

The overall success of the deployments was not based on the number of strikes against enemy aircraft. The true success was found in the units' ability to mobilize aircraft and people from varying backgrounds and specialties to perform their combat mission, something they will get more practice with when they deploy to support AEF missions. (Courtesy of AFRC News Service from a 419th FW news release)

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- A bird strike was the probable cause of an F-16C crash near Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., July 1, according to officials investigating the accident.

The pilot of the aircraft, Maj. Samuel D'Angelo III, assigned to the 482nd Fighter Wing at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla, was killed and the aircraft was destroyed after impacting the ground about 50 nautical miles southwest of Patrick on a private cattle ranch.

According to the accident investigation board report released Jan. 18 by Air Combat Command, approximately 25 minutes after takeoff for a low-level training mission, D'Angelo ceased controlling the aircraft. He made no radio transmissions, nor did he initiate the ejection sequence to escape the aircraft.
Substantial evidence indicates the probable cause of the crash was a bird strike on the forward area of the canopy. Investigators believe the canopy deflected inward, striking the pilot and rendering him incapable of controlling or escaping the aircraft, or of initiating radio contact. (Courtesy of ACC Public Affairs)

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFPN) -- Maintainers from the 56th Fighter Wing here have received the first 50 chemically-milled augmentor ducts for some of their more than 200 F-16 engines -- marking an important element of their ability to overcome the setbacks the base went through in 1999.

After the loss of seven F-16s, the media and public called for answers as to why planes here kept crashing. So, Luke decided to roll up its sleeves and work the problem as hard as it could.

"I firmly believe, years from now, people will look back on what has taken place here and they will cite it as the benchmark case study of how a team comes together to overcome adversity," said Brig. Gen. John Barry, 56th FW commander. "The operational and maintenance challenges this wing has faced are absolutely unprecedented."

With engine failures identified as the cause of four of the seven crashes, the "Luke
maintainers performed a miracle," said Barry.

"To really gain an appreciation for what has taken place here, you need to go back a few years," Barry said. In July 1996, the Air Force made the decision to switch from a two-level to a three-level maintenance concept to care for the F100 family of engines, which power the F-16.

Under two-level maintenance, flightline and base-level specialists performed periodic inspections on the engines, but any major repair work was sent to a depot for overhaul. Under the three-level system, bases have their own intermediate jet engine shops, which are capable of performing many depot-level repair tasks and returning the engines to service sooner.

Coinciding with the change was a growing chronic shortage of key engine parts, such as engine cores and high-pressure and low-pressure turbines. In just five months, the number of engines in the Luke engine shop doubled from 30 to 60.

By February 1998, the base was 39 engines short -- a record. Seeing a possible impact on pilot production, Air Force leaders worked hard to push parts to Luke.
"With parts flowing in, we increased operations in the propulsion flight to 24 hours," said Maj. Joe Swillum, 56th Component Repair Squadron commander. By October, the engine shop had turned the 39-engine deficit into a surplus of one -- the first spare engine in five years.

But, the February crash of a Luke F-16 resulting from a material failure of the engine augmentor duct, which helps provide engine thrust and holds the nozzle on the engine, turned an already busy engine shop into an even more hectic place to work.

At the time of the crash, cracks in augmentor ducts for the F100-PW-220 engine were a well-known problem. There had been 11 failures in flight, but none resulted in the loss of an aircraft. The previous failures were either on twin-engine F-15s, which were able to shut down the affected engine, or the affected F-16 was able to land in a very short period of time.

To lower the risk of failures, the Air Force required a one-time time compliance technical inspection of the augmentor duct. The duct interior was cleaned and a water-based penetrant applied to the surface to look for cracks along welds. Luke had already performed the inspection on two-thirds of the fleet and found only one bad duct.

In February 1999, Luke hosted a worldwide F100-PW-220 engine summit in an effort to identify the need to fund engine safety modifications and upgrades. Ironically, that need was underscored by the second Luke accident involving an augmentor duct separation March 26.

Immediately following the crash, Barry grounded Luke's entire fleet. "I had a hunch we had a bigger problem here than even our best engineers realized," he said.

Luke maintainers worked with the engine manufacturer and the San Antonio Air Logistics Center to develop an even more comprehensive inspection to find cracks that previously would have gone undetected. The new process used improved cleaning procedures and an oil-based penetrant.

"We helped develop it, validated it and verified it was the best nondestructive inspection we could perform in the field," Swillum said. "On a scale of five, with one being a visual inspection and five being a laboratory inspection, our procedure was a solid four."

Luke's own manpower-intensive procedure was adopted Air Force-wide as Time Compliance Technical Order 573, to inspect a suspect lot of augmentors which were believed to have thin walls, potentially leading to cracks.

Although the wing had only 34 "suspect" engine augmentors, Barry reasoned the prudent step would be to inspect every F100-PW-220 engine on the base. So, Luke maintainers started pulling engines.

A 24-hour assembly line removed the engines, sent them to the shop for cleaning, inspection and reinstallation. The process took 15 hours per engine, but Barry's hunch was confirmed when the first cracks were found in a non-suspect augmentor duct.
In an effort to return the wing to flying operations, Luke maintainers inspected 157 ducts in just 10 days. Ultimately, 218 augmentors were inspected and 24 had cracks requiring repair or replacement. As a result of Luke's findings, the Air Force directed every Pratt & Whitney 220 engine in the Air Force inventory undergo the improved inspection.

If augmentor ducts weren't enough to keep Luke maintainers busy, a problem with blade outer air seals of engine low-pressure turbines more than made up for it. Over spray of a protective coating on the seals, a manufacturing defect, was beginning to flake off and cause damage to rotating blades in the 4,000 cycle low-pressure turbine.
In April, Barry decided to ground all 71 F-16 engines that had the turbine. The 200-man engine shop immediately faced a shortage of 54 engines.

"The propulsion flight didn't just face the challenge, they shattered it," said Col. Ron Lee, 56th Logistics Group commander. The engine shop produced an all-time record of 53 engines in April. In addition, the low-pressure turbine retrofit was completed in just 81 days.

"Give us the parts and we'll answer the challenge and make it happen," said Master Sgt. Duane Carter, assistant superintendent of the propulsion flight.

In September, Luke's engine shop teamed with Pratt & Whitney and San Antonio Air Logistics Center engineers to perform a validation and verification procedure on a new chemically-milled augmentor duct. This "Val/Ver" process validates procedures written for technical orders, paving the way for the ducts' use throughout the Air Force.
The planned long-term fix is to replace all the old augmentor ducts in the Air Force's fleet of F-16s and F-15s with the new chem-milled ducts, according to Master Sgt. Harley J. Merrell, AETC F100 Program manager. "This duct reduces the risk to acceptable levels, while lessening the maintenance workload burden."

Luke received the first 11 ducts produced for 1999, and the rest will be shared with the Tucson Air National Guard and throughout the Air Force.

The Air Force-wide engine module shortages, back-to-back loss of two Luke F-16s due to the separation of the engine augmentor duct from the aircraft, and defective parts in engine low-pressure turbines essentially hit Luke maintainers all at once, Barry said. Still, they were able to simultaneously overcome parts shortages to transform a deficit of 39 engines into a surplus of four spares, deal with the inspection of every augmentor and repair 71 turbines -- all in a span of about 17 months.

"This may be the largest engine recovery effort in the history of our Air Force in the jet age," Barry said. "With available parts, teamwork and old-fashioned hard work, we proved to be the Air Force's 'pacer unit' for the Pratt & Whitney 220 engine."

Despite all the training time lost because of safety stand downs, the wing at Luke was only three pilots short of its contracted goal for producing new F-16 basic course graduates. Barry said it took "incredible teamwork, coordination and unprecedented effort" by the flightline and engine shop maintainers to make it all possible. (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)


LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFPN) -- Officials at Luke are investigating why an F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned here dropped a practice munition, which landed on the Pueblo Golf Course in El Mirage, Ariz., Dec. 16.
The object found was a BDU-33, a small 25-pound practice munition. As a safety precaution, base security forces and explosive ordnance disposal personnel, working with local law enforcement, briefly established a perimeter around the object until it was confirmed to have been safe. There were no injuries.
Luke F-16s routinely drop BDU-33s on targets at the Barry M. Goldwater Range in southwestern Arizona. The BDU-33 practice munition contains a small charge, which briefly emits a bright white smoke cloud when the weapon impacts the ground so range officials can score its accuracy. BDU-33s account for about 98 percent of the ordnance dropped on the Goldwater Range.
A safety team from the 944th Fighter Wing at Luke is investigating the incident.

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