A
SK ANY AVIATION
photographer about their
‘bucket list’ and you can
almost guarantee that
ying in Alaska is on it. The
49th state is a place that
changes you once you’ve been there. It’s
both enormous and wild — the rugged
peaks of the Alaska Range, deep glacial
valleys, and open plains of arctic tundra
that cover thousands of square miles
challenge one’s perspective of what ‘vast’
truly means. Not only that, but Alaska
has more than 2.4 million square miles
of airspace and nearly 750 recorded
landing areas.
Heading to Eielson Air Force Base near
Fairbanks is an opportunity you jump at,
and the scope of this trip was something
very special. The 36th Fighter Squadron
(FS) ‘Fiends’ was in town, visiting from
Osan Air Base in the Republic of Korea, for
Exercise ‘Distant Thunder’. It came as the
unit marked 100 years of service.
While there were many big Stateside
celebrations for US Air Force ghter
squadrons whose lineage dates back
to WW1, that of the 36th went largely
unnoticed due to its forward-based
status. Remote location aside, the
squadron has a tremendous history, and
a reputation for producing some of the
very best combat aviators.
‘As a young ghter pilot, the ‘Fiends’
taught me that history holds a sacred
place within a squadron’, explains Capt
‘Blitz’, a young F-16C pilot with the unit.
‘I’ve realized your rst assignment and
the memories you make, along with
the camaraderie formed, will resonate
throughout your career and beyond —
even to the point where your stories will
be shared at the squadron bar long after
you’re gone.’Fledgling ‘Fiends’
Back in 1917, June 12 fell on a Tuesday.
In a ceremony that took place in sunny,
humid San Antonio, Texas, one of the
most renowned ghter squadrons came
into being. The 36th Aero Squadron
was commissioned that day, its rst
commander being none other than Lt
Quentin Roosevelt — son of President
Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt. ‘Quents’ —Navigating the craggy peaks of Alaska, a
three-ship of ‘Fiends’ F-16Cs on the Joint
Pacifi c Alaska Range Complex (JPARC) during
‘Distant Thunder’. All photos Scott Wolff
unless credited otherwisehttp://www.combataircraft.net // December 2018 53