After their former location was destroyed by a hurricane, the 71st Fighter Squadron of the 1st Fighter Wing has achieved a milestone by welcoming two F-22 Raptors to their new home at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
Lt. Col. Andrew Gray, the commander of the 71st FS, and Lt. Col. Matthew Evers, the director of operations for the same squadron, piloted AF040 and AF042, the first of 30 F-22 Raptors that will be stationed at the 71st FS, the F-22 Formal Training Unit’s new location.
In 2018, Hurricane Michael caused extensive damage to Tyndall Air Force Base, which had been the previous location of the F-22 Formal Training Unit (FTU). As a result, the F-22s were temporarily transferred to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. In 2021, the Air Force made a decision to permanently relocate the FTU to Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE).
To support the F-22 Formal Training Unit’s new mission at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, construction has commenced on several military projects, including a low observable composite repair facility, which began construction in November 2022, and a combined operations and maintenance hangar, which had its groundbreaking ceremony on February 22.
According to Capt. Trent Amerson, who assumed command of the 71st Fighter Generation Squadron in January, his team is enthusiastic about the prospects for the 71st, but also recognizes that the transition will entail some difficult periods.
“The arrival of these first two aircraft is the beginning of a new era, and we’re very excited,” Amerson said. “We still have a hard road ahead – with standing up the 71st squadrons, but we’re confident in the capability of our maintainers and expertise of our pilots in producing the most lethal F-22 pilots in the Air Force.”
Col. William Creeden, the commander of the 1st Fighter Wing, acknowledged that the successful transition to the FTU mission is attributed to the outstanding efforts of the team involved.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our Airmen, America’s First Team and our JBLE mission partners for all they have done to prepare – and continue to work toward making the 71st the home of the F-22 FTU mission,” Creeden said. “And by doing so, we will continue to hold the standard of air superiority for our United States Air Force.”
In 1920, the Air Service Field Officers’ School was established, later renamed as the Air Corps Tactical School in 1926. Its goal was to train air officers and selected officers in airpower techniques. Today, the 1st Fighter Wing trains pilots to excel in F-22 air superiority operations worldwide.
