Wed, Oct 22, 2003
High-Time Phantom Combat Pilot Tries F/A-18E
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff suited up and took
over the backseat of the Navy's newest fighter-bomber at NAS
Leemoore (CA) on Monday.
Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, who has more than 4,000 hours
flying various Air Force high-performance aircraft, checked out the
capabilities of the FA-18E Super Hornet. He flew with VFA-122, a
Fleet Replacement Squadron at the central California base.
Myers, who flew 600 combat hours over Vietnam in F-4 Phantom
IIs, flew with Navy Lt. John "Ping" Turner, a veteran of actions
over Iraq.
The chairman flew as part of a two-plane mission. The aircraft
went to the R2508 Training Complex over Death Valley and adjacent
locations. It was Myers' first time in the Super Hornet.
Lemoore officials said the mission entailed refueling from an
FA-18F tanker aircraft and then conducting basic flight maneuvers.
Turner said the chairman took the stick for much of the
mission.
Afterwards, Myers spoke to sailors and Marines at the Lemoore
dining facility. He re-enlisted three sailors and presented an
award to another. He thanked the service members for their service
and answered their questions. The Super Hornet first entered the
fleet in late 1999. It has performed well in actions over
Afghanistan and Iraq.
The chairman's final West Coast stop was yesterday, at Fort
Lewis (WA), where he examined another new U.S. military capability
-– the Army's Stryker infantry carrier vehicle. A Fort Lewis
Stryker unit -– the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
-– is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in November.
[Thanks to Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
--ed.]
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