News

Test pilots unshaken by Mach 1 quality checks

  • Published
  • By Jenny Gordon
  • 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The camaraderie shared among full-time, active duty Reservists of the 413th Flight Test Group is one of comfort - noticeable to the casual observer, curious to the outsider wishing to catch a glimpse into their world.

Fighter pilots have an inner circle, made even more exclusive by the fact it's a competitive application process for F-15 pilot selection and training.

"At every level there's training and screening," said Maj. Steve "Ritalin" D'Amico, a 1996 Air Force Academy graduate. "It would be cocky to say only the best of the best come to what we're doing, but it would be untruthful to say that the top guy at every level is probably the fighter guy."

The 413th, which includes three full-time and one traditional Reservist, performs an average of three or four weekly functional check flights in the F-15. It takes about three sorties to certify the aircraft airworthy.

"When we touch it, there's no guessing," D'Amico added. "Every piece of the airplane has been torn out, replaced, adjusted or more. You're basically getting something that's completely untouched and untested."

One advantage for the pilots is the proximity of the F-15 Eagle Division system program office, with whom they work closely on matters affecting the aircraft's worldwide fleet.
While testing the aircraft, the pilots check instruments and flight controls to ensure they're working properly. Planes are tested prior to painting to prevent burning fresh paint off at high speeds.

"We do everything from test the engines - shutting them down in the air one at a time and restarting them - to the supersonic run," said Lt. Col. Dan "Gus" Badia, 413th FTG chief of standardization and evaluations. "We do that because there are certain things that happen on the aircraft that you have to check only when you're going that fast."

During the supersonic run, pilots fly from east of Columbus to west of Eastman, before returning to base.

"We check to make sure the flight control resets its ratio. In this aircraft, based on speed, the ratios change," said D'Amico, a former flight instructor. "We make sure the ratios are programmed correctly, because at supersonic flight, the aircraft is less responsive to flight control input."

As the aircraft accelerates to 1.5 times the speed of sound, there's a system designed to limit rudder travel above 1.5.

"We have to get to between 1.4 and 1.6 Mach to make sure the rudder limiting system is operational," he said.

Pilots distance themselves from the base and population below as much as possible, yet stay near enough to immediately return home should anything happen. They fly at a minimum 43,000 feet, trying to get closer to 50,000 feet, or more than nine miles up. The higher they are, the less impact supersonic shock waves can have on those below.

As pilots break the sound barrier, all wear life-saving G-suits which help blood circulate through the body to the brain. Someone pulling nine times the force of gravity can feel like they weigh 1,800 pounds. Throughout the year, pilots maintain a basic proficiency level of core fighter pilot skills, including basic fighter maneuvers, long-range tactical intercepts to exercise air-to-air radar capabilities in the C and E models, and simulation training.

Maintaining those skills allows them to occasionally fly with other units.

"That ability to go out and work with units is really important to maintain relevancy with the missions that airplanes are doing," said Maj. Chris "Torch" Coddington. "That helps us do our job better here, as well as interact with the guys in the squadrons flying these planes, so we can bring good feedback to the (Warner Robins Air Logistics Center)."

As part of its mission, the group can deploy anywhere in the world at a moment's notice to move or rescue crashed, damaged aircraft.

They can deliver aircraft to other units as needed, and also have an educational side to its mission, helping those units across the Air Force maintain their functional check flights to help keep their programs healthy. They are also sometimes called on to assist other squadrons with testing.

"It turns out that the whole fighter business is pretty relationship driven," said D'Amico. "So by keeping up the relationships, we're able to keep the communication between what happens here and what goes on in the field, at a healthy level. Feedback going back and forth has helped us produce a better product in a more timely fashion, and ultimately service the warfighter."

When not flying, they have additional responsibilities which can make for a longer day at work. Badia is the 413th's chief of standardization and evaluations; Coddington, the 339th Flight Test squadron assistant director of operations; and D'Amico, the 339th's F-15 flight commander.

Asked if there was ever anything else they'd rather be doing, all agreed that being a fighter pilot is something you have to really want. The time, commitment and passion for the mission make the lifestyle a part of who you are.

"You will find a lot of people in the Air Force who wished they were doing this job - but you don't find anybody in this job who wishes they were doing something different," said D'Amico.