The Air Force has released the names of the two pilots killed April 23 when their T-38C training aircraft crashed at Columbus AFB, Miss. They were Maj. Blair Faulkner, 43rd Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, and 2nd Lt. Matthew Emmons, a student pilot in Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training class 08-14. The aircraft crashed on initial take-off, according to the Columbus news release, which noted that the last fatal crash at the Mississippi pilot training base was 24 years ago. An accident investigation board is investigating the April 23 crash. (Columbus report by SrA. John Parie)
The Senate passed its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization bill late Oct. 9 with new language restricting retirements for B-1 bombers and E-3 AWACS. Now lawmakers from the House and Senate must set about resolving the differences between their two bills, which could lead to significant changes for…