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F-16 Air National Guard Commander's Conference
November 15-18, 2005 NAS Ft. Worth JRB, Texas |
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F-16 Air National Guard Commander's Conference
November 15-18, 2005 NAS Ft. Worth JRB, Texas |
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The 2005 Air National Guard Commander's Conference took place at Naval Air Station Ft. Worth, Texas, from November 15 through November 18, 2005. Organized by the 169th Fighter Wing in South Carolina, and hosted by Lockheed-Martin, based at the facility, the event featured one Viper from every current F-16 Fighter Wing in the ANG. With an invitation in hand from the 181st Fighter Wing in Terre Haute, along with the blessing of Lockheed-Martin and Carswell's Public Affairs Office, I wasn't going to miss it!
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The majority of the jets arrived in sunny Ft. Worth on Tuesday afternoon and evening. Parked in two rows, the gathering made for a very impressive sight. With the exception of Minnesota's 148th Fighter Wing and Michigan's 127th Wing, which were unable to attend due to to severe weather, each squadron brought at least one jet to the conference. However, California's 144th Fighter Wing earned "style points" for bringing two. The vast majority of the aircraft were marked for their respective Wing's flagship, with a few jets sporting brand-new markings applied for the occasion, including Washington D.C.'s 113th Wing and Burlington, Vermont's 158th Fighter Wing. Besides the new markings, many aircraft had very fresh paint applied. I noticed several "October 2005" dates on more than one paint stencil.
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Besides the wide variety of unit markings, it was very interesting to note the variety of Viper models in service throughout the Air National Guard. Every production block was present, from North Dakota's F-16A ADF, up to the very modern block 52 flown by South Carolina.
With the announcement of the 2005 BRAC (Base Realignment And Closures) committee, it seems as though this may be the last time so many ANG Vipers will assemble for a Conference. By this time next year, it is doubtful that many of these squadrons will still be in the Viper business.
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Huge thanks go to LtCol. "JR" Newman and Col. "Doogie" Hauser, both of the 181st Fighter Wing, for the invitation, along with Eric Hehs of Lockheed-Martin, and Don Ray of Carswell Public Affairs for making it possible for me to attend. I truly appreciate it!
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