62nd Fighter Squadron graduates 13 in class 08-HBC

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. BOB BATTEMA
  • 62nd Fighter Squadron commander
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The mission of the 56th Fighter Wing is to "train the world's greatest F-16 fighter pilots and maintainers, while deploying mission ready warfighters." On Saturday, 13 graduates of the F-16 Initial Qualification Course will cross the stage and enter the combat Air Force and the Global War on Terrorism as just that - the world's greatest. 

Class 08-HBC completed nine months of F-16 Fighting Falcon training with the 62nd Fighter Squadron, the Spikes. But this was not a singular effort. To achieve this great milestone, the 56th Training Squadron provided hundreds of hours of classroom and simulator instruction, the dedicated Airmen of the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Unit consistently produced high-quality combat ready aircraft (despite being the oldest F-16s in the Air Force inventory), and countless support agencies across the base ensured Spike students could fully focus on their mission by providing world-class support and service to them and their families. 

Spike instructors put 08-HBC through the gauntlet, flying more than 862 sorties during the duration of their course. The students quickly learned what is expected of an American fighter pilot. After a month of ground and simulator training, the day arrived for their first flight in the F-16 - known as the Viper by those who love and fly this magnificent machine. Each pilot was given just four flights to master handling the F-16, because the fifth would be their first solo in the Viper. 

Following this transition phase, missions steadily increased in intensity and complexity as the students moved into the air-to-air and air-to-ground phases. First they learned to dogfight, refuel while airborne, and employ multi-ship air-to-air tactics maneuvering against enemy air threats. Each student dropped live, GPS-guided and laser-guided bombs - a practical experience of what the Air Force brings to the battle. By the end of the course they were doing all of this under the cover of darkness with the additional challenge of using night vision goggles. 

Culminating their training, 08-HBC partook in the "Luke War" planning and executing large force during an intensive two-day period exercises where the students demonstrate the skills they had learned. The class was tasked to destroy simulated enemy targets while opposed by hostile air and ground forces. From gun employment to delivering precision weapons and executing close air support missions, 08-HBC demonstrated with deadly precision and discipline their preparedness to employ the Viper against the enemy. 

Though graduation day signals the end of initial training for 08-HBC, the students will continue learning. Each new Viper pilot will undergo further mission qualification training (up to 90 days) at their new Air Force unit to prepare them for combat - and make no mistake, after this class they will find themselves in places like Afghanistan or Iraq almost immediately after graduation. 

Every mission this class completed was modeled after real-world missions. Now equipped with the knowledge and skill required of an American fighter pilot, they will travel to the corners of the earth to defend the freedoms of this great nation. Luke Airmen should be proud of the part they played in producing the newest "world's greatest F-16 fighter pilots."