Air Force fires Thunderbird Commander

1,593 Views | 0 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by K2-HMFIC
Postal
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AG
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/29/air-force-fires-thunderbirds-commander-because-risk-management-concerns.amp.html

In case you haven't heard, the Air Force is in crisis mode because of an overwhelming shortage of fighter pilots. This is a bad look for my service. The General and the Thunderbird commander are both F-15E pilots, and coincidentally both Texas University graduates. I knew the General when she was a Lt Col, as she was one of my instructors during my initial qualification training, and later was a commander while I was deployed. She is the USAF's first female fighter pilot,and she is on track to having 4 stars. I have never met Lt. Col Heard, but he is renowned throughout the F-15E community. He started his career as a WSO (Weapon Systems Officer or Backseater) in the F-15E, but then requaled as a pilot. Another coincidence is that Lt. Col Heard's brother was one of the 12 students lost in the Bonfire collapse.

This is a very disappointing development. In the article, it references the Thunderbird crash in the summer of 2016 at the USAF Academy. Lt Col Heard was not even the commander at the time. Additionally, if there was such a "loss of confidence" during the show season, then the change should have been made immediately, not at the end of the season. I know sometimes that immediately revealing all details about why someone gets fired is not always in everyone's bet interest. However, if Lt Col Heard was allowed to finish the season, then it would appear that he did not do anything dangerous while flying or on the ground. If safety wasn't an issue, then I think we need to know why the confidence was lost.
K2-HMFIC
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My guess is that it's CYA being practiced by Gersten...
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