A retired F-15C Eagle was recently trucked from Tyndall AFB, Fla., to a technical training school where it will be used to train government-certified civilian airframe and powerplant technicians. “This is really a win-win,” 325th Maintenance Group chief CMSgt. Gregory Fenger said in a base release. Tyndall loaned the F-15 to the Haney Technical Center in Panama City, Fla., where students will now have “a really high tech piece of machinery that they can use to train,” while the base can “free up valuable space,” added Fenger. Tyndall’s 325th MXG demilitarized the aircraft and removed its wings for the 15-mile road trip down US Route 98, Aug. 30, according to the release. “If Haney comes to a point where they no longer need the jet, then we will take it back and find a new place to put it,” Fenger noted. School instructor Dennis Harper previously crewed the jet—serial number 78-0523—when it was still active at Tyndall, according to the release.
Lockheed Martin plans to enter the Advanced Tactical Trainer fray to supply the Air Force with a new jet to bridge between undergraduate flight instruction and fighter training units, but declined to say whether it will offer a T-50A derivative, a different non-developmental airplane, or a clean-sheet design. It's comments…