ACC aerial demo teams certify at Langley

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Russell Wicke
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE Va. (ACCNS) --  Air Combat Command aerial demonstration pilots received final certification here from Gen. John Corley, ACC commander, Feb. 5 before taking their shows on the road.

The demonstration teams who certified were the F-22 Raptor, A-10 West, F-16 Viper East and F-15E Strike Eagle, all of which are preparing for the 2008 calendar year season spanning from March to November.

"[General Corley] was pleased with every bit of it," said Lt. Col. Glen Lawson, Aerial Events branch chief in charge of ACC demo teams. "The aerial event program actually puts our hardware in front of the American public ... [it] reaches more folks than just about anything else we do."

These aerial demonstrations are designed for civilian and military audiences to maintain and improve community relations, said Capt. Paul Brown, A-10 west coast demo pilot out of Davis Monthan AFB, Ariz.

"The general public doesn't [always] get to see their tax dollars at work," he said. "We demonstrate those capabilities of the Air Force." The demonstrations also benefit the Air Force for recruitment, and sometimes retention purposes as well.

Certification for demo team pilots start at the wing level, according to Capt. George Clifford, F-16 east coast demo pilot. From there, they certify at the numbered air force level and finally here with ACC.

"It's the culmination of the entire training syllabus for us," said Captain Clifford. "Before [ACC leadership] puts their stamp of approval on us going out to fly for the public, they want to see what we're actually showing the public."

"Every time a new demo pilot comes on board (about every two years) we've got to cert in front of the big guy," said Captain Brown, referring to the ACC commander. He wants to make sure we represent the Air Force as he sees fit."

The pilots said almost every maneuver they perform is a duplication of what they do in combat at a much lower altitude.

This is typically true for the Thunderbirds as well, but the other demonstration teams bring a different angle to viewers.

"What we're doing with the airplane are actual maneuvers we do every day over in Iraq and Afghanistan - normal [air to ground] capabilities the aircraft does everywhere," said Capt. Brown.

The A-10's primary role is air-to-ground combat. But the F-16 doesn't always fill air-to-ground roles.

"The thing about the 16 is it's a true multi role fighter," said Captain Clifford. He explained the Viper can be modified to fight air-to-air battles as well as the tactical air-to-ground battles. "What we bring in is the single ship aspect - more of a tactical fighter role," he said.