Leaders turned the first shovel on the construction of a $22 million helicopter operations facility at JB Andrews, Md., Nov. 2. The building will bring the 1st Helicopter Squadron and the 811th Operations Support Squadron, both based at Andrews, under the same roof. “This project will make our airmen more efficient at a job they already excel at,” 11th Wing Commander Col. Brad Hoagland said in a release. “Pooling all of our resources and personnel for the 811th [Operations Group] just makes sense,” he added. The future two-story, 66,000 square-foot facility will include combined administrative offices, planning and briefing rooms, flight simulators, a fitness center, and other amenities, stated building contractor Haskell. Construction was slated to begin earlier this summer and wrap ?up at the end of 2016. The 1st HS, which is primarily tasked with executive airlift in and around the National Capital Region, flies the UH-1N helicopter.
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.