The Air Force’s new leadership team, Acting Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, in a visit last week at Hill AFB, Utah, emphasized that they want to “settle things down,” as Donley phrased it, after the...

During a question and answer session with airmen at Hill AFB, Utah, Aug. 22 (see above), Gen. Norton Schwartz, the service’s new Chief of Staff, expressed his opinion that the planned move of aircraft maintainers into flying units should not...

The Feb. 20 mid-air collision of two F-15Cs over the Gulf of Mexico was the result of pilot error and not mechanical failure, according to Air Combat Command’s accident investigation board report released Monday. Both pilots failed to clear their flight paths and anticipate their impending high aspect mid-air impact, Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynes, AIB president, told reporters during a conference call. Capt. Tucker Hamilton (mishap pilot 1) ejected upon impact, while 1st Lt. Ali Jivanjee (mishap pilot 2) was fatally injured as a result of the collision. Both pilots were assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla. and were flying a one vs. one high-aspect basic fighter maneuver about 44 nautical miles south of Tyndall AFB, Fla. Reynes said that “clear and convincing evidence” suggests both pilots misperceived their vertical closure during the maneuver. Reynes added that he ruled out any maintenance or airworthiness issues that contributed to the crash. He described Hamilton as a “disciplined, capable fighter pilot” who had some 482 flying hours in the F-15 and had just regained currency after the F-15 fleet's prolonged grounding. Reynes said that although Jivanjee was an inexperienced wingman, he was "an above average pilot." He, too, had just regained currency and had about 120 hours in the F-15. Reynes noted a procedural failure as a possible contributor. He said that the day prior to the collision Jivanjee had performed a close pass within 300 feet of another aircraft, a training rule violation that was later discussed with his flight leader but not squadron leadership; Hamilton was unaware of the rule violation. Reynes said that ACC would now require that squadron leaders and flight members receive information about such violations. During the Feb. 20 incident, Reynes said that a recreation indicated that Jivanjee had likely lost sight of Hamilton momentarily behind his canopy. The AIB summary of facts notes: "MP 2 displayed complacency because he may not have moved his head to see around the canopy bow and regain visual contact with MA1 (mishap aircraft 1)." (Executive Summary and Statement of Facts)

The Texas Air National Guard has launched a new unit at Goodfellow Air Force Base that will work alongside units of the active-duty 17th Training Group, primarily to train enlisted personnel in collection, analysis, and application of all-source intelligence. According...

The search and rescue airmen of the Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing at Kulis ANG Base are handling rescue missions in the Interior Alaska normally covered by the Alaska Army National Guard’s Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic unit,...

The combined efforts of Air Force and Navy aircraft had delivered more than one million pounds of relief supplies to Georgia as of Aug. 22. US European Command officials noted that USAF C-17s and C-130s and Navy C-9, C-130, and...

As part of a two-week medical exercise under the auspices of US Southern Command, members of the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Medical Group have provided care to some 1,500 Guatemalans near Santa Rosa over a three-day period. “It was...

Retired Lt. Col. Howard L. Baugh, one of the famed World War II Tuskegee Airmen, died Aug. 23. He was 88. After graduating from Virginia State College, he entered the Army Air Force’s Tuskegee Airmen program and flew with the...

US Air Force personnel from Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, were among the first on the scene when a Kyrgyz 737 airliner crashed Aug. 24 shortly after takeoff from the Manas International Airport. Kyrgyz officials notified USAF leaders of the 376th Air...