T
HE MODERN FIGHTER pilot
works in an era of multi-
tasking, requiring quick
reactions and swift decision-
making amid high pressure
and sensory overload.
Bringing new blood into this extreme
environment requires a mix of traditional,
dyed-in-the-wool ghter pilot mettle
blended with solid preparation for the
front line of military aviation.
The 148th Fighter Squadron ‘Kickin’
ass’ of the 162nd Fighter Wing, Arizona
Air National Guard, primarily operates
from Tucson International Airport. Its role
is to train new F-16 pilots for the Royal
Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF), and it’s a
community brimming with experience.
Squadron commander Lt Col Joost
‘Niki’ Luijsterburg is something of a
‘Viper’ master, recently becoming the
rst Dutch F-16 pilot to exceed 4,000
ight hours. He’s something of a legend
among the international ghter pilot
community and has completed 12
combat deployments during his career
— in the former Yugoslavia, including
Kosovo, and Afghanistan — as well as
being the senior Dutch representative
and ‘red card-holder’ in the Combined
Air Operations Center during a recent
operation in the Middle East. ‘Niki’ has a
passion for what he calls ‘a life in the sky’,
something evident from his world record-
holding skydiving accomplishments,
which go hand-in-hand with his thirst
for adrenaline. ‘I have lots of interests
and they’re very diverse’, he says. ‘I love
ying ghter jets, but I’m equally happy
jumping out of airplanes, mountain-
biking in the US wilderness, ying downa Swiss mountainside under a high-
performance parachute. Or I could be on
my couch watching movies with a bag of
chips or reading a good book.’Leading from the front
‘It’s been better than I expected,’ ‘Niki’
says of his role teaching new aviators. ‘I
love sharing my knowledge and trying
to get them to be a better pilot than I
am — that’s my main objective.’ ‘Niki’ says
he takes some of his inspiration from
an outside source. ‘I read a book on the
New Zealand All Blacks rugby team. It
talks about leaving a place better than
you found it. I want to make my students
better than I am and that’s how we’ll
grow as an air force.’
Being an instructor is only as good as
one’s ability to impart information. ‘Niki’
explains that not only is knowledge
important, but so is the rationale behind
it. ‘I like to give reasons why things are
done or why they are not. Students are
then more likely to follow it through and
improve. Day-to-day, I’m just one of the
IPs [instructor pilots] on the line. I y the
same amount as everyone else and am
fully involved in the training of the young
guys and have an equal share in that.
I will hold the hammer on how we are
going to do things overall, but everybody
has their own job. I am not here to
make the schedule or run the weapons
shop, and I like it that way. If you have a
job, you do your job — nobody wants
to be steered any other way or have
me interfering all the time. This would
prevent growth and learning.
‘Our squadron is fairly small. We have
10 Dutch jets with Dutch airworthinessThis image:
With leading-
edge slats
deployed, a
‘Kickin’ Ass’
F-16AM pulls
up close to the
cameraship
above the
rugged Arizona
terrain.
Right: Looks
can kill — a
148th FS
student
wearing the
Joint Helmet
Mounted
Cueing System
(JHMCS).The 148th Fighter Squadron is a unique element of the Royal
Netherlands Air Force, training new F-16 pilots in the near-perfect
weather of Arizona. ‘Fight’s on!’REPORT AND PHOTOS Rich Cooper/COAP Media
71
70-78 148th FS C.indd 71 20/04/2018 09:50