FRIDAY FOTO (November 22, 2013)

Changing of the Guard

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. David J. Loeffler

A U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet piloted by Col. John York leads an F-16C Fighting Falcon flown by Lt. Col. Sean Navin on the Falcon’s final mission for the 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard in Fresno, California.

The F-16s have been transferred to the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Ariz., after the 144th Fighter Wing received the F-15 as its new airframe. York is the 144th Operations Group commander. Navin is the commander of the 194th Fighter Squadron. 

FRIDAY FOTO Extra (November 22, 2013)

Alaska Dawn

(U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Connaher)

This beautiful shot was going to be the Friday Foto today until we realized this was a static display of a retired F-15. However, it’s still a nice photo, so here it is. This McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle resides at Heritage Park near U.S. Air Force 3rd Wing headquarters. We see it here just as the sub-arctic dawn breaks over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.

The 3rd Wing flies the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighter as well as the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy lift and the Beechcraft C-12 light cargo and passenger aircraft and the E-3 Sentry AWACS (airborne warning and control system) aircraft.