Category Archives: Fighter Pilot

Naming Ceremony Got Three AF Commanders Fired

The Naming Ceremony — long a fighter pilot tradition — has apparently wound its way into the earliest stages of a pilot’s career. A Naming Ceremony for student pilots at Laughlin AFB, Texas, ultimately contributed to a squadron commander, group commander, and wing commander getting fired:

In a rare action, the Air Force said Wednesday it had relieved three commanders at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio.

The move came in the wake of incidents in the past year that included a female pilot being given a vulgar name during a drinking ritual and another Read more

Thunderbird Pilot Dies in Crash in Nevada

A US Air Force F-16 pilot who was a member of the Thunderbird demonstration team has died as a result of a crash “during [a] routine training” flight:

“A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot was killed when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed over the Nevada Test and Training Range today at approximately 10:30 a.m. during a routine aerial demonstration training flight,” the Wednesday statement said.

The pilot was Read more

One Dead, One Injured after T-38 Crash

UPDATE: The pilots have now been identified by the Air Force. Capt. Paul J. Barbour, 32, was killed in the crash.  Capt. Joshua Hammervold was injured.  Both were instructors with the 87th Flying Training Squadron.

A US Air Force T-38 flying out of Laughlin AFB, Texas, crashed on Monday. One of those onboard survived; the other did not.  The Air Force withheld the names.

Witnesses cited by the Del Rio News-Herald said they saw a parachute and a lone pilot descend to the ground near the crash.

The aircraft should have been a T-38C, which should have Read more

Aviation Museum Celebrates First F-16 Air to Air Kill

The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor recently rolled out a freshly repainted F-16A with the name of retired Air Force Gen Gary “Nordo” North on the cockpit. Gen North — then a LtCol and squadron commander of the 33FS — was flying an F-16 when he shot down a MiG-25 violating the Southern No Fly Zone over Iraq in 1992.

The kill marked the first-ever air-to-air kill by an F-16, and also the first-ever air-to-air kill with an AIM-120 AMRAAM — much to the chagrin of the F-15 Eagles whose sole role was air combat, and who carried the AMRAAM as their exclusive active radar guided missile.

There’s one issue, however. We can forgive Read more

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