Airmen at Tinker AFB, Okla., working with Pratt & Whitney mechanics, recently completed repairs on the first F117 engine at the base’s new F117 maintenance shop. The Pratt-manufactured engine powers the C-17 transport; four reside on each C-17. Members of the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group at Tinker’s Oklahoma City ALC will perform about one-third of the repair workload on the more than 1,000 F117s in USAF service. The first engine took several months to fix, but once the center matures, workers are expected to be able to repair each F117 in 60 days. Currently the 45,000 square-foot shop, with 30 mechanics, can repair four F117s at once. Later this year, once the shop grows to 96,000 sq. ft., it will employ 150 technicians and be able to handle six to ten engines at a time. (Tinker report by Brandice J. O’Brien)
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American
