WESTFIELD, Mass. – Five F-15 fighter jets took off for Mount Washington in New Hampshire on Wednesday, as part of a training mission. The jets left Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield at around 2:45 PM.
Four of the jets were F-15C aircraft and one was an F-15D, which had two pilots in it. It will be a training mission for the pilots, but the purpose is to showcase the F-15 Eagle fighter jet formations over Massachusetts.
National Guard spokesman Lt. Colonel James Sahady said on Thursday, the F-15s will fly across the state for the purpose of appearing in photographs for the National Guard magazine. They will fly over places like Salem, Nantucket, Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Cape Cod and the islands
22News was on the runway as the F-15s took off from Barnes. The flyover is dependent on weather conditions, but it is planned to begin at 8:10 Thursday morning.
Below is the entire news release from 104th Fighter Wing regarding the flyover:
On Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, five F-15 Eagles from the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Mass., will be flying over the skies of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts.
*The date and time is subject to change based on weather conditions forecasted for the current week ending Nov. 14, 2014.
“At approximately 8:10 a.m., five F-15 Eagle fighter jets will make low passes beginning at Hanscom Air Force Base, Salem, Boston, Fenway Park, Norwood, Gillette Stadium, Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard ending at about 8:45 a.m. as part of a planned training and media mission,” said Lt. Col. James Sahady, spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard. “Photographs will be taken of the F-15 fighter jets in formation for the nationally published National Guard magazine to promote Massachusetts as the birthplace of the National Guard.”
The F-15 fighter jets are from the same Massachusetts Air National Guard unit that provides continuous protection of the Northeast corridor of the United States through the 24/7 Aerospace Control Alert (ACA). Assigned to the Air Force’s Air Combat Command, the 104th Fighter Wing proudly claims the honor of being one of the oldest flying units within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The men and women of the 104th Fighter Wing proudly serve to protect the citizens of the commonwealth and the country.
On December 13, 1636, the Massachusetts National Guard was founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia, when town militia companies were organized into three permanent militia regiments.
America’s National Guard heritage can be traced back to the “First Muster” in April of 1637 in Salem, Mass. Since that historic time, the Massachusetts National Guard has provided a trained and ready operational force, serving the community, the commonwealth and the nation during peace and war.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment