Lt. Col. Lee Kloos, 58th Fighter Squadron commander at Eglin AFB, Fla., became the Air Force’s first non-developmental test pilot to qualify to fly the F-35A strike fighter, announced Eglin officials. Kloos completed the last of his six qualification flights on May 31, they said. He will now train and qualify other pilots in the 33rd Fighter Wing’s initial pilot cadre to fly the F-35. Eglin is home to the initial joint F-35 schoolhouse that the 33rd FW runs. (Eglin photo caption by Maj. Karen Roganov)
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.