SJAFB evacuates jets as Irene approaches

An F-15E Strike Eagle takes off as part of an evacuation from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Aug. 25, 2011, in preparation for Hurricane Irene. By the time the eye of the hurricane reaches North Carolina’s Outer Banks, it will be a Category 3 storm with sustained winds between 111 and 130 mph and a nine-to-12-foot storm surge. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Rae Perry)

By Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert, 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFNS) -- As Hurricane Irene approaches, the 4th Fighter Wing and 916th Air Refueling Wing began evacuating approximately 60 F-15E Strike Eagles and eight KC-135R Stratotankers to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 25.

In addition to the aircraft sent to Barksdale, the base also sent approximately 350 aircrew and maintainers who are expected to return early next week.

"Officially, this is a hurricane evacuation," said Lt. Col. David Moeller, the 335th Fighter Squadron commander. "The intent is to take the F-15Es and KC-135Rs and get them out of harm's way. Each (F-15E) jet costs approximately $54 million; there is (more than) $5 billion worth of assets here at Seymour Johnson, so this is an attempt to mitigate the risk."

The base's biggest concern is the base personnel and aircraft resources, said Capt. Ryan Rickert, the 4th Operation Support Squadron weather flight commander. Moving the aircraft is important because, with a limited number of hangars, aircraft sitting out on the airfield are exposed to the elements.

"The biggest threat to us would be the winds," Rickert said. "With the conditions being dry lately, the precipitation could impact the county and the base, but we're not seeing the rain fall to be a big deal."

Based on the forecast track, Seymour Johnson AFB is expected to see wind gusts of more than 35 knots, which is approximately 45 miles per hour or more, Rickert said.

"Seymour Johnson is the largest F-15E base in the Air Force," Moeller said. "As such, it has a mission to not only train the young fighter pilots and weapons system officers, but also to maintain combat capability to deploy jets to Iraq and Afghanistan. By moving these jets away from Hurricane Irene's path, we ensure they will be available for the training as well as the operational missions."

Air Force jets perform first flyover using alternative fuel

Three of four F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., performed a flyover for the first time using a blend of traditional jet fuel and biofuel. The aircraft were participating in the Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day activities April 1, 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff. Sgt. Ted Nichols)

by Jennifer Cassidy, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (AFNS) - Three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft performed the Air Force's first flyover using "green" biofuel over Citizen's Bank Park for the Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day activities April 1.

The jets, from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., flew using a 50 percent blend of traditional jet fuel and synthetic biofuel derived from plant oils grown in the northwestern U.S.

"The Air Force is committed to reducing our nation's dependence on foreign petroleum and is pursuing environmentally-friendly, domestically-produced alternative biofuel blends for our entire fleet of manned and unmanned aircraft," said Dr. Kevin Geiss, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy.

The Air Force's ongoing biofuel certification efforts are in direct alignment with the president's goals of developing clean fuel technologies while gradually weaning the U.S. off 19th-century fossil fuels, Geiss said.

"If anyone doubts the potential of these fuels, consider Brazil," said President Barack Obama during his March 30 remarks on U.S. energy security. "Already more than half of Brazil's vehicles can run on biofuels. And just last week, our Air Force used an advanced biofuel blend to fly an F-22 Raptor faster than the speed the sound. In fact, the Air Force is aiming to get half of its domestic jet fuel from alternative sources by 2016."

"This flyover demonstrates the Air Force's leadership and commitment to use alternative fuels, allowing the service to collect additional performance and flight information," Geiss added.

The Air Force is testing and evaluating biomass fuels derived from three different feedstocks: camelina (plant seed oil), beef tallow (animal fat) and various waste oils and greases.

To date, the service has tested and certified biofuel as a 50-percent blend with regular jet fuel in the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the F-15 Eagle, the C-17 Globemaster III and the F-22.

The Air Force has fully certified C-17s to fly on the biofuel blend and certification of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the aircraft flown by the Air Force's demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, is imminent, Geiss said. Fleet-wide certification is on track for completion in 2013.

The service's long-term goal, Geiss explained, is to acquire 50 percent of all stateside fuel from domestically-produced alternative blends that are cleaner than fuel produced from conventional petroleum. The fuel must be priced competitively for the Air Force to meet this goal.

The Air Force continues to explore ways of decreasing energy demands and increasing supply through advanced planning tools for air operations, more energy-efficient aircraft technology, "smart" building designs, increased simulator use and the pursuit of alternative and renewable energy sources, Geiss said.

New Reserve group stands up at Seymour Johnson

A new Air Force Reserve Command unit is standing up at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., to support the growing mission for F-15E Strike Eagles, like the one shown here. The new unit, the 414th Fighter Group, will be fully staffed by September 2011. (Courtesy Boeing photo/Lance Cheung)

by Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore, 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFNS) -- To keep up with the increasing demand for F-15E Strike Eagle pilots and weapon systems officers, a new group is standing up here.

The Air Force Reserve Command's 414th Fighter Group may have only a handful of assigned personnel now, but about 340 people will fall under the group, the 307th Fighter Squadron or the 414th Maintenance Squadron, by September 2011.

"We currently have 21 people and are actively hiring aircrews, intelligence (people) and maintainers for our organization," said Lt. Col. Kevin Fesler, 307th FS Det. 3 commander and 4th Operations Group deputy commander. "All of the full-time personnel are stationed at Seymour Johnson. The part-time traditional reservists live within driving distance of the base to fulfill their drill period requirements."

The role of the new group is to help Seymour Johnson produce more qualified F-15E aircrews.

"The total force integration initiative was directed by the chief of staff of the Air Force and the secretary of the Air Force memo in 2007 to utilize AFRC aircrews to produce more F-15E aircrew graduates," Colonel Fesler said. "The success of the initial TFI plan was realized, and the 4th FW requested a Phase II expansion, which includes maintenance and intelligence personnel, with a plus-up of instructor aircrews also. All of these personnel will functionally integrate with the 4th FW and be leveraged to produce more world-class F-15E graduates."

The AFRC maintainers arriving to the new units are fully qualified with five-, seven- and nine-skill levels. They will work hand-in-hand with the base's active-duty Airmen.

"The 4th MXG will have operational direction over the maintenance personnel, which means they will decide their day-to-day duties," Colonel Fesler said. "The Air Force Reserve Command and Air Combat Command signed memorandums of agreement and understanding regarding the utilization of the personnel to maximize their experience within the 4th FW. The 414th FG will maintain administrative control for reporting, etc."

Many of the Airmen had prior active-duty Air Force experience before transferring to the Reserves. Senior Airman Bobby Kerr, a 307th FS crew chief, is one of the first reservists assigned to the unit.

"I had no learning curve coming here," he said. "I worked on the F-15 for four years at Langley (Air Force Base, Va.) before joining the Reserve."

Airman Kerr is a traditional reservist, so he will spend one weekend a month and two weeks a year working hand-in-hand with the base's active-duty crew chiefs to generate aircraft.

"I'm expected to carry my weight," he said. "I'm held to the same standards."

Although the active-duty and Reserve crews have meshed well, there have been challenges in establishing the new group on base.

"Any new venture meets the challenge of funding," Colonel Fesler said. "The Air Force as a whole has to fund each new initiative and prove the value over another great venture being pursued elsewhere; nothing is free. So, acquiring the required funding to bring in the manpower is a significant challenge."

Despite this fact, the colonel has found his involvement in the 414th FG standup a rewarding experience.

"(I've enjoyed) having the opportunity to be back in the F-15E community among the greatest warriors in the world and actively participating as a TFI organization that has grown from infancy to being on the cusp of becoming a fighter group," Colonel Fesler said. "It is also rewarding to offer personnel jobs and positions within our organization and watch those folks flourish as they are given increased responsibility."

Standing up the total force integration organization required Colonel Fesler to work with many people from various units across the base.

"The 4th FW has been tremendously receptive and supportive of the TFI initiatives here," he said. "TFI is a contentious subject across the Department of Defense and the Seymour Johnson expansion and association is seen as a success story, in no small part due to the vision of the leadership here."