Klamath Falls, Ore. – The Eagles are taking on the Falcons this week…but it has nothing to do with Sunday Night Football on NBC.
Kingsley Field is the nation’s only school house for training F-15 ‘Eagle’ crews.
But this week, there are several F-16 ‘Falcons’ from Arizona on base for air combat training.
The twin-engine F-15 eagle can fly faster, higher, and farther than the F-16 falcon. However, the F-16 does have a few tricks up it’s sleeve.
“It’s a lot more agile.” Notes Master Sergeant John Lambert of the Arizona Air National Guard. “Especially at higher speeds. A lot more maneuverable at lower speeds, it can maneuver around and F-15 better.”
“The F-16 specifically is a newer fighter.” Adds Major Adam Gaudinski of the Oregon Air National Guard. “It’s got more avionics, newer computers.”
the 162nd Fighter Wing is based in Tucson.
Master Sergeant Lambert says crew members like what they’ve seen so far…
“Klamath Falls has been really good here, been really good to us – the weather’s a lot nicer, it’s not as hot. So it’s been great.”
While there’s a competitive feel to the combat training…both sides will benefit from the lessons learned.
Major Gaudinski: “The one thing that the 173rd Fighter Wing does extremely well is host assets that come to our base.”
The combat exercises will take place in airspace over eastern Oregon.
The F-16’s will be in Klamath Falls through the 22nd.
F-16 fighters aren’t new to Kingsley Field.
Pilots learned how to fly F-16’s at Kingsley from 1988 to 1998, when the base converted to F-15’s.
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