A look at the mission from the backseat of an F-16

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Yasemin Randall
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  An Airman is the Air Force's most valuable asset. Without the Airman, the mission cannot be completed. But how often does an Airman see how his part in the Air Force affects the mission? Three Incirlik Airmen were selected to experience the mission first-hand by flying in the back seat of an F-16.

These flights "provide deserving Airmen a glimpse into the flying mission that their work supports," said Lt. Col. David Youtsey, 39th Operations Squadron commander. "We are pleased to be able to expose some of our Airmen to the mission first hand."

The three Airmen who were selected for these flights were Tech. Sgt. Scott Lacroix and Senior Airman Tegan Reives, 39th OS, and Tech. Sgt. Christopher Meloling, 39th Maintenance Squadron. These individuals were nominated by their supervisors as the Airmen who made significant contributions to the work involved in restoring Squadron Operations Center No. 2 and the Maintenance Operations Center in the Golf Loop in preparation for the arrival of the 22nd and 23rd Fighter Squadrons' RSD visits to Incirlik.

Each flight was scheduled to fly within a 50 nautical mile radius of Incirlik Air Base and last approximately one and a half hours.

Prior to their individual sorties, the three Aimen underwent training where they had to pass a pre-flight physical given by the 52nd FW's flight surgeon. The Airmen attended four hours of instruction where they learned about the life-support systems in the F-16, the flying gear, how to pull Gs and remain conscious, and what to do in the event of an emergency. They also attended their respective mission briefings to get an understanding of the mission and familiarize themselves with the planned sequence of events.

Sergeant Lacroix flew in the back seat of Capt. Brian "Boose" Kellam's F-16 during an air-to-air intercept mission Feb. 14.

"When I was up flying, the only thing I could relate it to is riding a motorcycle, when you're out in the open and you can see all around you. You feel so free and independent from everything. I felt very exhilarated and, at one point, nauseated from all the twisting and turning, but it was probably one of the best experiences I've had since I've been in the military," said Sergeant Lacroix.

Airman Reives' sortie was scheduled to be a basic fighter maneuvers mission Feb. 16. Her sortie was cancelled when a problem with the F-16's braking system arose. Unfortunately, her familiarization flight could not be rescheduled before the 23rd FS returned to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, but the spin-up training she received gave her great insight into mission preparation.

Sergeant Meloling flew on an advanced handling characteristics sortie Feb. 16 with 1st Lt. Matthew "Option" Clark.

"It was fantastic...totally an enjoyable experience and one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was awesome," said Sergeant Meloling. This was Sergeant Meloling's first time in a fighter.

"Our goal was to show-case the RSD mission up-close and personal to a few of our Airmen that made significant contributions in paving the way for the first RSD at Incirlik in over 16 years," said Colonel Youtsey. "The experience is a valuable tool in helping our Airmen to connect the dots of what they do to where the rubber meets the road."