Reserve unit jet departure

Col. Derek Rydholm, 944th Fighter Wing commander; Lt. Col. Donald Lindberg, 302nd Fighter Squadron commander; and Maj. Mike Sharp, 944th Operations Group deputy commander; perform a ceremonial flyover above the Luke Air Force Base flightline Feb. 12, 2007, as hundreds of unit members bid farewell to the unit's remaining F-16s. The last three of 17 F-16s assigned to the 944th Fighter Wing departed the base and will be reassigned as part of Base Realignment and Closure actions. Two of the final F-16s will go to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and will become part of the aggressor squadron. The third will go to an Air National Guard unit in Tucson, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Susan Stout)

Reserve unit jet departure

Lt. Col. Donald Lindberg, 302nd Fighter Squadron commander, shakes the hand of his crew chief, Tech. Sgt. Dan Dennison, before taking his final flight in a 944th Fighter Wing F-16. The last three of 17 F-16s assigned to the 944th Fighter Wing departed Feb. 12, 2007, to be reassigned as part of Base Realignment and Closure actions. Two of the final F-16s will go to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and will become part of the aggressor squadron. The third will go to an Air National Guard unit in Tucson, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Susan Stout)

Reserve unit jet departure

The last three 944th Fighter Wing's F-16s departed Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Feb. 12, 2007. The 944th FW is an Air Force Reserve Command unit at Luke and as part of Base Realignment and Closure, the unit's 17 F-16s are being reassigned to other units to right-size units by consolidating its declining fleet into fewer, larger units at installations of high military value. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Dan Orzel)

Reserve unit jet departure

Members of the Air Force Reserve Command's 944th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., watch as the 302nd Fighter Squadron's flagship passes for it's final flight as a 944th Fighter Wing jet. The flagship, painted in Original Tuskegee Airmen colors, will go on to become an aggressor at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The 944th Fighter Wing is home to two Original Tuskegee Airmen squadrons, the 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons. The 944th Fighter Wing's 17 Fighting Falcons are being reassigned to other units as part of Base Realignment and Closure. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Susan Stout)

Reserve unit jet departure

Master Sgt. Kevin Dunn, right, and Tech. Sgt. Jeremie Waterfield, 944th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chiefs, complete final checks Feb. 12, 2007, as Maj. Mike Sharp, 944th Operations Group deputy commander, prepares for takeoff. Major Sharp, along with Col. Derek Rydholm, 944th FW commander, and Lt. Col. Donald Lindberg, 302nd Fighter Squadron commander, flew the last three remaining 944th FW F-16s in a ceremonial farwell. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Daniel Orzel)

Reserve unit jet departure

Members of the 944th Fighter Wing salute as Lt. Col. Donald Lindberg, 302nd Fighter Squadron commander, taxis to the runway Feb. 12, 2007, to depart for Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The 302nd Fighter Squadron, which traces its roots to the Tuskegee Airmen, will be inactivated at Luke AFB but will return to the Air Force Reserve Command when it stands up as an F-22 associate unit at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bryce Watson)

Arizona unit closes chapter in history

Published Feb. 12, 2007
By Staff Sgt. Susan Stout
944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Feb. 12 was a bittersweet day for the 944th Fighter Wing on Luke AFB's flightline.

Reservists in the Air Force Reserve Command wing closed a chapter of their almost 20-year history as they bid farewell to the last three of 17 remaining F-16s. The unit's F-16s are being reassigned to other locations on the recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

"This is like a family that's moving on," said Lt. Col. Donald Lindberg, 302nd Fighter Squadron commander. He compared the emotions of the event to sending a child to college.

As part of the farewell, the trio of planes performed a ceremonial flyover for the crowd of 944th Fighter Wing members, past and present, and their families before flying toward Las Vegas.

Two of the F-16s, piloted by Colonel Lindberg and Col. Derek Rydholm, 944th Fighter Wing commander, will become part of the aggressor squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev.

The third jet, flown by Maj. Mike Sharp, 944th Operations Group deputy commander, will undergo maintenance at Hill AFB, Utah, before being assigned to an Air National Guard unit in Tucson, Ariz.

Master Sgt. Bob Rydzynski, 944th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, worked on these F-16s since they arrived from the factory in 1987.

"Today is an emotional day," he said. "On one hand I have a great feeling of pride seeing my jet fly, but at the same time, I know it's not coming back."

Although the aircraft left and the 302nd Fighter Squadron will leave Luke AFB, the squadron will return to Air Force Reserve Command when it stands up as an F-22 associate unit at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The squadron traces its roots to the Tuskegee Airmen.

The 944th Fighter Wing will continue its mission of training F-16 pilots and providing combat-ready warriors for worldwide deployments in support of the expeditionary Air Force.

The wing's 301st Fighter Squadron provides Air Force Reserve F-16 pilots through the associate pilot program who fly active-duty 56th Fighter Wing aircraft to train active-duty student pilots.

The wing staff and support sections will continue to support the global war on terrorism as well as humanitarian missions around the world. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)