Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
December 2, 2006
By Louis Hansen, The Virginian-Pilot
HAMPTON - For nearly three decades, the F-15 Eagle strike fighter has fought wars, patrolled hostile skies and provided homeland security.
It has also been the face of Air Force power, appearing at air shows and exhibitions around the world.
On Friday afternoon at Langley Air Force Base, the old warhorse made way for a new show horse.
The Air Force formally retired the F-15 from its centerpiece role in the East Coast Demonstration Team and replaced it with the new F-22 Raptor.
The team is one of seven sent to air events. Pilots take their fighter jets through a series of high-performance maneuvers, earning oohs and aah s - and recruits.
Brig. Gen. Frank Gorenc, a former demonstration team pilot on hand for Friday's ceremony, said the teams show communities the importance and might of the Air Force.
"It's hard to recognize the value of air power," he said. "It's invisible most of the time."
Four generations of aircraft flew over Langley during the Eagle's retirement party, marking the transition to the F-22 Raptor. Pilots flying a World War II-era P-51 Mustang and a Korean War-era F-86 Sabre performed in the ceremony.
"It's like watching your Air Force grow up," Gorenc said.
The stealthy Raptor becomes the new face of Air Force aviation. A crew will fly the Raptor to air shows and exhibitions around the globe next year. It will begin formally showing off its capabilities in choreographed aerial displays in 2008.
Maj. Paul "Max" Moga is the first F-22 demonstration team pilot.
His goal, he said, is for audiences to shake their heads and say, "I can't believe an airplane can do that!"
Gorenc, who returned from a stint as commanding officer of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base in Iraq, said the new fighter jets and their supersonic speed and power could eventually play a key role in the global war on terrorism.
For now, the two active Raptor squadrons at Langley are practicing their capabilities. Neither of the squadrons, which are designed for air-to-air combat, ha ve been called into a combat missions.
December 2, 2006
By Louis Hansen, The Virginian-Pilot
HAMPTON - For nearly three decades, the F-15 Eagle strike fighter has fought wars, patrolled hostile skies and provided homeland security.
It has also been the face of Air Force power, appearing at air shows and exhibitions around the world.
On Friday afternoon at Langley Air Force Base, the old warhorse made way for a new show horse.
The Air Force formally retired the F-15 from its centerpiece role in the East Coast Demonstration Team and replaced it with the new F-22 Raptor.
The team is one of seven sent to air events. Pilots take their fighter jets through a series of high-performance maneuvers, earning oohs and aah s - and recruits.
Brig. Gen. Frank Gorenc, a former demonstration team pilot on hand for Friday's ceremony, said the teams show communities the importance and might of the Air Force.
"It's hard to recognize the value of air power," he said. "It's invisible most of the time."
Four generations of aircraft flew over Langley during the Eagle's retirement party, marking the transition to the F-22 Raptor. Pilots flying a World War II-era P-51 Mustang and a Korean War-era F-86 Sabre performed in the ceremony.
"It's like watching your Air Force grow up," Gorenc said.
The stealthy Raptor becomes the new face of Air Force aviation. A crew will fly the Raptor to air shows and exhibitions around the globe next year. It will begin formally showing off its capabilities in choreographed aerial displays in 2008.
Maj. Paul "Max" Moga is the first F-22 demonstration team pilot.
His goal, he said, is for audiences to shake their heads and say, "I can't believe an airplane can do that!"
Gorenc, who returned from a stint as commanding officer of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base in Iraq, said the new fighter jets and their supersonic speed and power could eventually play a key role in the global war on terrorism.
For now, the two active Raptor squadrons at Langley are practicing their capabilities. Neither of the squadrons, which are designed for air-to-air combat, ha ve been called into a combat missions.