An F-35A Lightning II, assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, takes off. (U.S. Air Force photo by Anthony Pham)

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Wing surges through 30 training flights in one day

  • Published
  • By Bryan Magaña
  • 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  The 419th Fighter Wing launched 30 F-16 training flights Saturday during a "surge" exercise designed to prepare Airmen for increased tempo during combat.

The reservists doubled the number of F-16 flights launched during a typical drill weekend, testing their ability to deliver quick turnaround time.

For 419th maintainers, a surge offers valuable training and a chance to exceed standard requirements for aircraft generation.

"The goal is to operate at a much faster pace than is normally required on a day-to-day basis," said Col. Patrick Webb, 419th Maintenance Group commander. "It gives our reservists a taste of the increased workload they'll experience during deployment and helps them hone those skills."

Per Air Force requirements, the 419th surges at least twice a year. In active-duty fighter wings, the scenario can span three to five days. But because reservists have limited time - only two days each month - the training is condensed into a single day on the drill weekend.

"Compressing the surge down to one day proves that we can meet our training requirements with the limited time available from our part-time force," said Maj. Jayson Rickard, assistant director of operations in the wing's 466th Fighter Squadron. "The compressed time window and a larger number of aircraft help generate a 'fog of war' mentality, which is critical for troops to experience before deployment."

Although the last aircraft landed by the end of the workday Saturday, 419th maintainers performed post-flight maintenance well into the night in order for the jets to resume regular flying operations Monday, Webb said.

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