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		Air-to-Air with the Racers
	April 19, 2006				Terre Haute, Indiana

In the spring of 2006, I was invited to fly along with the pilots of the 181st Fighter Wing in Terre Haute, Indiana, in a two-seat F-16D. Based at Hulman Field as part of the Indiana Air National Guard, the "Racers" have always been one of my favorite squadrons. Needless to say, I was extremely excited about getting this rare chance to see just what goes on once the jets leave the ground.

After securing permission for the flight from the Indiana Air National Guard Headquarters in Indianapolis, the next job was to pinpoint a day in which this flight would take place. That turned out to be more difficult than I'd thought. Although the 181st Fighter Wing is technnically a "reserve" unit, they are very much a part of the nation's front-line defense. Training for their mission takes place constantly. It wasn't easy for them to find a day in which they could spare five F-16s to get done what we had in mind. Compounding the situation was the inevitably unpredictable Indiana spring weather. It would be a few months before we finally got a day to work with.

The morning of April 19 began ominously. Strong storms producing hail, torrential rainfall, lightning, and wind passed through the area in the early morning. The forecast called for much of the same throughout the day. However, as the sun began to rise, the light revealed a bright blue, cloudless sky, with no hint of severe weather. It was time to go fly!!

After arriving at the base at 0800, the first stop was to the Life Support building in the 113th Fighter Squadron's headquarters. There, I was set up with boots, a flight suit, G-suit, helmet, oxygen mask, belt harness, gloves, and a locker to store my 'civilian' clothes. The fitting of these items took over two hours to accomplish, and wasn't finished until every last item fit flawlessly. The personnel in the Life Support squadron were exceptional at their jobs. The level of knowledge that they possess is truly impressive, and quickly made me feel at ease with the entire process.

Next up was the egress trainer. Here, I learned the location of various switches and controls that I would need throughout the flight, as well as how to get out of the aircraft in a hurry. Besides the obvious ejection scenario, I was taught how to get myself unbuckled, unhooked, and out of the cockpit quickly in case a friendly helping hand was not available from the outside. Again, the expertise of the Life Support staff was incredible.

After the fitting and training was out of the way, I had a little bit of time to kill until I had to meet the rest of my flight for the briefing. I used this time for lunch as well as to check and re-check my camera gear. I would be taking two camera bodies, a single lens, spare batteries, and several CF cards into the jet with me, and this was my last chance to make sure they were in working order.

Our mission for the day was fairly simple: to make the jets pretty for photos. The squadron needed some photographs of a 4-ship of Vipers over local landmarks for recruiting and publicity purposes. These included several area high schools, along with downtown Terre Haute and its capitol building. During the pre-flight briefing, I got the chance to meet the other pilots in the flight to discuss our plan in great depth. Before discussing the specifics of the photography aspect of the flight, the five pilots did a great deal of planning for various scenarios, including emergencies, that could pop up. I was impressed with the level of detail of the planning. These guys really are professionals.

The Flight Lead, "Buzz", had already done an exceptional job of planning our flight, including the direction in which we'd arrive over the target, location of the sun, etc. He even gave me a callsign -- "Kodak". With a few requests and suggestions from me, along with suggestions from the other pilots, we were ready to get suited up and step out to the jets.

My pilot for the day was Lieutenant Colonel Ron "Rock'N" Roberts, a full-time pilot in the 113th Fighter Squadron. He is one of the more experienced pilots in the squadron, having flown the F-16 for several years in the active-duty USAF before joining the Indiana ANG. He performed his pre-flight walkaround as I got settled into my seat and strapped in. Once he was finished, he stopped at my seat to check on me before climbing into his. Since there were five F-16s in our flight, it took us a little while to get ourselves started, organized, and ready for taxi. By the time the chocks were removed, I was more than ready to get this started!

After waiting for the 4-ship to depart, "Rock'N" rolled us out to the runway and added power. My first reaction was to giggle like a 3-year-old girl. Acceleration was brutal, and had us in the air in an incredibly short distance and time. Our next task was to catch up to the previous jets that had departed only moments before us. "Rock'N" kept the power in, and we soon joined the formation and headed to our first target.

For the next hour, we proceeded to six different targets so I could take photos of the formation over each location. Throughout the flight, I was constantly amazed at the ability of all the pilots to get into the exact spot that I asked, when I asked. They kept their jets in perfect formation throughout the entire flight. As a result of the professionalism and abilities of the pilots, and quite a bit of luck on my part to get the photos on the first pass, we had a few minutes extra to head into the Red Hills Military Operating Area (MOA) in southeast Illinois. There, we experimented with different formations, breaking up the formations, and acrobatics to get a few "more exciting" photos. It also gave each of the pilots a chance to move in close to the camera ship for an individual photo of each aircraft. Once I was finished taking pictures, "Rock'N" and I remained in the MOA as the other jets returned to base. I was eager to get my hands on the controls to see how the jet flies, and I soon got my chance. "Rock'N" talked me through a series of maneuvers that had me grinning ear-ear. The light bizjet that I normally fly lacked a little in the performance department compared to the Viper! "Rock'N" then took control of the jet and really demonstrated its performance through 9 G turns, climbs, descents, and evasive maneuvers. I was very sad to return to base, but our fuel gauge indicated that it was time.

At the end of the day, I was extremely impressed with the aircraft's ability in the hands of an expert pilot. The aircraft is a true performer, and the 181st Fighter Wing's pilots know exactly how to use it to its fullest.

Besides the pilots, the rest of the personnel that make up the Wing deserve credit for making everything function. Everybody from the maintenance personnel to the Wing leadership are some of the best I've met anywhere in the country.

In addition to the bruises on my legs I received during the high G turns, I came away feeling very fortunate to have been able to experience a flight in an F-16. Not many civilians ever get the chance, and I am very grateful. From a photography perspective, there were some shots that I messed up, others I didn't even think of until after I'd landed, and many more that I wish I'd done differently. Those will have to wait for the next flight!

I am very grateful for the help in receiving this ride. Thanks go to Col. Jeff "Doogie" Hauser, 181st Fighter Wing Commander, and LtCol. John "JR" Newman, Community Manager, for getting me the opportunity. The pilots in the flight, "Buzz", "Smuth", "Sumo", "R+10", and "Rock'n", all deserve my appreciation for being so easy to work with and eager to help. My friend, Mark Nankivil, deserves credit for being there with me taking photos from the ground. All of the photos on this page taken from the ground are his. THANKS EVERYONE!!

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