Instructor pilots with the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph AFB, Tex., brought their T-6A Texan II trainers to Cannon AFB, N.M., where they hoped to entice a few fighter pilots to cross over into the IP world, reports CMSgt. Gary Emery. Since Cannon is giving up its F-16 force, the 12th Operations Group commander, Col. Christopher Weggeman, himself a former Viper pilot, thought he might garner a few volunteers to help “forge Air Force aviators with a combat mentality early on,” says Maj. Paul Dupuis. He and Maj. Tommy Hudnall got the call to provide orientation rides on the Texan and apparently sparked some interest.
Gas is king in the vast expanse of the Pacific. And as the Pentagon has sought to build up its capability to deter China, the Department of Defense has undergone a major rethink about how to get fuel to the region. At the heart of the effort is the U.S. Transportation…