Air F
orce Reservists at Whiteman AFB, Mo., are partnering again with their Afghanistan deployment mates—active duty airmen from Spangdahlem AB, Germany—to provide the Spang A-10 crews some badly needed training time. US Air Forces in Europe has sent 20 A-10 pilots to Whiteman, where they are working with airmen of Air Force Reserve Command’s 442nd Fighter Wing to catch up on their training sorties. The USAFE pilots have come up short at Spangdahlem because of bad weather, German flight restrictions, and a shortage of aircraft, since their Warthogs needed maintenance after four months flying Operation Enduring Freedom sorties. (Read more in Maj. David Kurle’s report.)
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.