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From The Cockpit: 79 FS Journeys Home

Scott Wolff 4 Comments Air Force

A very Happy Sunday to you, FighterSweep Fans! We hope you’ve had a great weekend thus far. We’ve been enjoying some much-needed down time, as we’ve all been traveling and generating content for your viewing pleasure!

Today we bring you a special video treat, taking you inside the cockpit with our good friends at the 79th Fighter Squadron, based at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. We saw the Tigers earlier this year as they participated in Red Flag 15-1, and we wanted to give you a glimpse of what their trip home was like.

We begin in the cockpit of the mighty Block 50 F-16CJ “Super Weasel” as it executes an unrestricted climb on departure from Nellis, clawing its way into the vertical at the departure end of Runway 03L with almost five bills of “smash” to propel the jet skyward.

The dramatic departure began a long and uneventful cross-country back to the east coast, but the view was awesome: wide-open blue sky, puffy clouds, smooth air, and Vipers a-plenty plugging in and taking on gas as needed.

It once again stresses the importance our tanker fleet has on the ability of the U.S. Air Force, as well as our coalition partners flying U.S.-made fighters, to wage war anywhere over the globe at a moment’s notice. Thanks to our brothers and sisters at Air Mobility Command, we’re able to bring the noise and bring the rain in short notice.

AFMFF!

About the Author

Scott Wolff is an accomplished writer and renowned aviation photojournalist. He has held the position of Managing Editor for a print flying lifestyle magazine, and is the Host and Editor for FighterSweep. Scott's area of expertise is military flight operations, drawing on ten years of experience working extensively with all branches of the armed forces. He holds an FAA pilot certificate, the culmination of a life-long passion for flying airplanes. Scott has received military altitude chamber training, emergency egress training, and has logged time in a variety of civilian and military aircraft. He is also a member of the International Society of Aviation Photographers and Nikon Professional Services.

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