A C-17 aircrew assigned to the 535th Airlift Squadron at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, spent five days at JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., practicing maneuvers and drills that they cannot normally perform back home due to flight-training limitations. This included making unrestricted-descent assault landings at the 3,500-foot landing strip in Grant County, Wash., near Moses Lake, and utilizing drop corridors that require pilots to rely strictly on their instrumentation due to weather conditions. “The Pacific Northwest offers a plethora of training opportunities that we don’t get on the islands of Hawaii,” said Capt. Dave Morales, a 535th AS pilot, who was along for the Nov. 12-17 training. Another example, Morales noted, was taking advantage of the area’s mountainous terrain to conduct low-level terrain-following sorties. (Lewis-McChord report by SSgt. Mike Meares)
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.