A recent US Air Forces in Europe news release describes a major thrill for most airmen, getting to fly a hot fighter of another air force. Maj. P.K. Carlton, who was participating in an exchange program at RAF Coningsby, Great Britain, got to fly solo in the RAF’s Typhoon. The USAF F-16 pilot called the flight characteristics of each aircraft similar. The biggest problem for him was the RAF’s different “rules to fly by.”
Like a new car from the dealership, an HH-60W helicopter touched down at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Nov. 2 with paperwork, a set of keys, and that fresh-from-the-factory smell. The newly activated 5th Helicopter Squadron accepted its first “Whiskey” in a brief but pomp-filled ceremony attended by the Air…