An Air Force release late last week confirms that the service has decided its E model F-15s can return to flight, following a 13-hour inspection of hydraulics and structural elements. TSgt. Russell Wicke reports that Air Combat Command chief Gen. John Corley issued the order on Nov. 11. Still grounded after a Nov. 2 crash of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C are all A, B, C, and D models. The Air Force has a total of around 700 F-15s, including, as of Sept. 30, 2006 data, 223 E models, which are structurally enhanced for their air-to-ground role. Col. Frederick Jones, ACC combat aircraft division chief, said that initial reports from an engineering analysis indicated that “the F-15E is not susceptible to the same potential cause of the Missouri mishap.” However, he added, the inspections of each E model will be “very methodical and thorough, because ACC doesn’t intend to see any of the fighters “rushed” back into service.
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American.
