Lt Ryan McGuire, the pilot training student who lost his leg and won a fight to stay in training, has graduated and received his wings.
By becoming the first amputee to graduate from pilot training, First Lt. Ryan McGuire earned his spot among the elite group…
The new Air force pilot is reportedly headed to Altus AFB, Oklahoma, to learn to fly the C-17 Globemaster III. He has become the first amputee to earn his wings in pilot training.
A recent article on AF.mil noted the Operation Deep Freeze runs by USAF C-17s flying from New Zealand to McMurdo Air Station, Antarctica. Most interesting, however, was the included photograph:
It seems benign at first, but if you look at the pallets between the passengers, you can see cases of beer…lots of cases of beer: Read more
According to news reports, the July C-17 crash that killed four crewmembers shortly after takeoff in Alaska was caused by pilot error. The report’s press release and a video of the C-17 takeoff (up to just prior to impact), are available on the PACAF website. (The video has already made it to YouTube as well.)
Elmendorf Air Force Base reported the loss of an F-22 late Tuesday night. The crash site was discovered Wednesday, and news releases from the base indicate crews are continuing to search for signs the pilot may have ejected and survived.
It appears the mishap aircraft was executing a rejoin at the end of a night sortie when it simply, and quietly, disappeared.
Elmendorf AFB recently lost a C-17 and its four crewmembers. The last F-22 to crash was at Edwards AFB; the pilot did not survive.
Updated with names of crew.
The Air Force announced that a C-17 Globemaster III crashed shortly after takeoff from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, on Wednesday, killing the four crewmembers. There are indications the crew was practicing for the upcoming Arctic Thunder airshow this weekend. While large aircraft occasionally have incidents on landing or on the ground, the catastrophic loss of a military cargo aircraft from a flight mishap is a relatively rare event.
Elmendorf leaders have announced the 2010 Arctic Thunder airshow will proceed as planned.
As is the common practice, the Air Force did not speculate and will conduct a month-long investigation to determine the cause.
UPDATE: The Air Force released the names of those killed on the C-17:
Maj. Michael Freyholtz
Maj. Aaron Malone
Capt. Jeffrey Hill
Master Sgt. Thomas Cicardo