Pilot for a day visits Luke

  • Published
  • By Senior Airmen C.J. HATCH
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Life with any illness can be tough, but for Alex Silva, his illness has begun to take over his life. 

He has kidney problems which requires him to do eight to 10 hours of dialysis each night. 

Alex visited Luke Air Force Base Feb. 26 with his older brother, Antonio, and they were escorted to the 309th Fighter Squadron by Capt. Randy Jacobson, 309th FS instructor pilot as part of the Pilot for a Day program. At the Ducks' nest, Alex and Tony met with Lt. Col. Pete Bilodeau, 309th FS commander and other pilots. 

Colonel Bilodeau began Alex's day with a briefing on the history of the 309th and how Walt Disney designed their patch in 1944 with the Mad Mallard, Donald Duck. 

Alex toured the squadron and Captain Jacobson explained how flying, although the best part of the job, is not the only thing pilots do. He showed him some of the additional duties that pilots perform. The next stop was the life support section where Alex was presented a flight suit with patches and a name tag sporting his name and call sign "Speed." 

After a quick change into his flight suit, Speed continued his tour of the base at the air traffic control tower. 

At the tower he observed the precision and vigilance of the air traffic controllers and what it takes to keep Luke's F-16 Fighting Falcons controlled and safe in the air and on the ground. After seeing a few pilots launch, Speed continued to the radar approach control to follow the F-16s that had just launched on radar. 

Having seen the behind-the-scenes action of flying, Speed stepped into the cockpit of a simulator. 

"The simulators had to be the best part of my day," Alex said. "It was cool to fly around and shoot things down." 

After being certified to fly by the simulator staff, Speed was introduced to Brig. Gen. Kurt Neubauer, 56th Fighter Wing commander. They spoke briefly about his day and what he had done. General Neubauer presented Speed with a commander's coin and explained the heritage and traditions behind the coin. 

Nearing the final phase of his training, Speed departed for the 309th FS life support to receive his helmet and gloves. 

At the end of the day Speed returned to the 309th FS for a farewell from his fellow pilots and received mementos to remember his day as a fighter pilot. 

"I liked it when I saw the jet waiting for me with my name," Alex said. "It was like being a real pilot."