Airmen honor Billy Mitchell anniversary

F-22A Raptor pilot assigned to the 94th Fighter Squadron drops a Joint Direct Attack Munitions during the 95th anniversary of Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell bombing the Ostfriesland at Langley Air Force Base, Va., July 21, 2016. Mitchell and the 1st Provisional Air Brigade demonstrated to the world the superiority of air power by sinking the famous, unsinkable, Ostfriesland, a captured German battleship. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. J.D. Strong II)

94th Fighter Squadron, F-22A Raptor pilots drop Joint Direct Attack Munitions during the 95th anniversary of Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell bombing the Ostfriesland at Langley Air Force Base, Va., July 22, 2016. The aircraft that sunk the Ostfriesland 95 years ago took off out of Langley Field. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. J.D. Strong II)

A B-1 Lancer drops Joint Direct Attack Munitions during the 95th anniversary of Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell bombing the Ostfriesland at Langley Air Force Base, Va., July 22, 2016. The B-1 Lancer carries the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. J.D. Strong II)

F-22A Raptors return to Langley Air Force Base after dropping Joint Direct Attack Munitions during the 95th anniversary of Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell bombing the Ostfriesland at Langley Air Force Base, Va., July 22, 2016. Seven fighter wings, eight different airframes and 33 aircrews Air Force-wide supported the two-day event by taking off from, Langley AFB, and flying the same path the 1st Provisional Air Brigade flew and drop inert bombs where the sunken, Ostfriesland lies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. J.D. Strong II)

A group of U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagles prepare to land at Langley Air Force Base, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. Pilots flying 8 different airframes dropped inert munitions at the original site of the 1921 airpower trials of the coast of the Virginian Capes, where the sunken Ostfriesland still lies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle taxis on the flight line at Langley Air Force, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. Seven fighter wings, eight airframes and 33 aircrews from across the Air Force gathered to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the 1921 airpower trials. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle lands at Langley Air Force, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. Each year, Air Force Airmen honor Mitchell, a U.S. Army general regarded as the father of the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot from the 1st Fighter Wing taxis on the flight line at Langley Air Force, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. In honor of Mitchell, pilots from across the Air Force gathered to reenact Mitchell’s airpower trials which demonstrated aviation’s place in the U.S. military on July 21, 1921. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon taxis on the flight line at Langley Air Force Base, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. In honor of Mitchell, pilots from across the Air Force gathered to reenact Mitchell’s airpower trials which demonstrated aviation’s place in the U.S. military on July 21, 1921. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

Two U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons taxi on the flight line at Langley Air Force Base, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. Seven fighter wings, eight airframes and 33 aircrews from across the Air Force gathered to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the 1921 airpower trials. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress flies over Langley Air Force Base, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. Mitchell, who is widely considered the “father of the Air Force,” and the 1st Provisional Air Brigade demonstrated the superiority of air power by sinking the famous, and previously thought unsinkable, captured German battleship, the Ostfriesland. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A B-1 Lancer flies over Langley Air Force Base, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. Pilots flying 8 different airframes dropped more than 30 inert munitions to memorialize the bombing of the Ostfriesland, an “unsinkable” captured German battleship, during the 1921 airpower trials – an accomplishment which proved aviation’s place in the U.S. military. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force F-16CM Fighting Falcon taxis on the flight line at Langley Air Force Base, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. The reenactment memorialized the 1921 airpower trials at Langley Field led by Mitchell, an early aviation visionary and outspoken advocate of American air power. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor lands at Langley Air Force Base, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. Each year, Air Force Airmen honor Mitchell, a U.S. Army general regarded as the father of the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle taxis on the flight line at Langley Air Force, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. In honor of Mitchell, pilots from across the Air Force gathered to reenact Mitchell’s airpower trials which demonstrated aviation’s place in the U.S. military on July 21, 1921. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor lands at Langley Air Force Base, Va., following a 95th Anniversary Maj. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell memorial reenactment, July 22, 2016. Each year, Air Force Airmen honor Mitchell, a U.S. Army general regarded as the father of the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin)