What are Luke pilots up to up there? We asked.

A favorite landscape among pilots, though, are the sights captured while flying low-level, down to 500 feet, through the mountains and canyons surrounding Phoenix.”

Maddog

NEIGHBORS

Q&A: Luke Air Force Base Brig. General Jason M. Rueschhoff

UPDATE

Luke says Monday’s sonic boom over West Valley not from base jets

By Steve Stockmar
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X: @stevestockmar

The sight of Luke Air Force Base jets flying overhead is as much a part of the Valley sky as sunshine.

And it’s no wonder. With the base focusing primarily on training fighter pilots, Luke conducts about 100 to 150 flights each day, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.

Residents, particularly those in the West Valley with Luke sharing borders with Glendale, Litchfield Park and Waddell, see and hear the jets flying in formation throughout the day. After all, the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke is the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force and is home to more than 120 F-35A Lightning IIs and 20 F-16 Fighting Falcons.

If residents have ever wondered what exactly do they do up there, where do they go, and what does the view look like, we did, too. So we asked.

Per policy, pilots can’t take personal cameras into the cockpit for flights so we can’t see quite exactly what they see. Also, any images captured by on-board cameras built into the jets are strictly a no-no for public consumption for security reasons.

One Luke pilot who makes their living in an F-35 cockpit seat did agree to share some observations with some of the burning questions residents may have long wondered. Again, for security reasons, the pilot asked to remain anonymous and stick to their callsign, “Maddog.” Another Luke pilot, who also flies a commercial plane, was able to snap some pics from that cockpit to share views from the same airspace Luke pilots see when they’re looking down at us as we’re looking up at them.

Over to you, Maddog:

Hello and greetings from Luke Air Force Base!

I am a pilot at Luke flying the F-35 Lightning II, or as we like to call it, the Panther. I go by the name of “Maddog,” given to me by my squadron mates as a nickname, or as we call it, a callsign. I have been flying the F-35 for two years but have flown other fighter jets in the Air Force, including the F-15E Strike Eagle for more than nine years.

Every sortie that is flown out of Luke Air Force Base is a training sortie, training the next generation of combat aircrew for the United States. Currently, all F-35 pilots in the United States and many partner nations’ F-35 pilots have received their training at Luke Air Force Base. We train new pilots how to fly the aircraft, then move on to dogfight training, or basic fighter maneuvers, and more advanced mission sets.

A look at I-10 at the Loop 101 interchange looking east.

(Photo provided by Luke Air Force Base)

Seen from high above in this photo is the Tres Rios Wetlands, south of I-10 near the Salt River, and home to 700 acres restoring a vital wetland and riparian habitat.

(Photo provided by Luke Air Force Base)

Ending the course, students will be able to fly in a large force exercise, simulating a robust combat environment.

The F-35 is an all-weather fighter aircraft capable of engaging air and surface targets and is uniquely capable of targeting surface-to-air missile systems. It also has the unique capability of being a stealth fighter jet, meaning it is very difficult to detect on radar.

During our flights out of Luke Air Force Base, we see some beautiful landscapes, such as mountain ranges, desert valleys, and even a few of the local rivers and streams. It is a varied but dry landscape throughout southern Arizona.

Usually, our flights are centralized across southern and western Arizona, but occasionally we overfly the surrounding states, including California and New Mexico.

When we get to fly in northern Arizona, the sights are more varied as landscape changes from flat desert to the more rugged terrain of the mountains of Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. They are very large, beautiful, and impressive physical features of the landscape. Truly a unique perspective to see these sights from the air!

A favorite landscape among pilots, though, are the sights captured while flying low-level, down to 500 feet, through the mountains and canyons surrounding Phoenix. It takes a lot of training to be able to fly at 500 miles per hour only 500 feet above the ground and return safely. However, it is a skill set that is necessary in the F-35 and all fighter jets to practice flying the aircraft close to the ground for combat operations.

Additionally, our flights happen at all hours of the day, including flying at night. Night flights are especially unique as the city lights from Phoenix can be seen over 80 miles away. Night flying is also unique, as we fly with night vision devices in the aircraft that enhance our nighttime vision. These devices allow us to view the night sky and let us see hundreds of thousands of stars, satellites, and even the Milky Way galaxy. It is not uncommon to see dozens of shooting stars on an average night-time sortie.

--Maddog

A look from overhead at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale.

(Photo provided by Luke Air Force Base)

Steve Stockmar
News Editor | Sun Life Magazine & Arts & Entertainment YourValley.net

sstockmar@iniusa.org

Meet Steve
Steve Stockmar joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, and has been an Arizona journalist for almost 30 years. He serves as editor of Sun Life Magazine and contributes to West Valley communities where he focuses mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference.

Community: Every season Steve serves as a “buddy” with the Miracle League of Arizona in Scottsdale, has volunteered his time with Family Promise in Glendale, and previously served on the Ghostlight Theatre board in Sun City West.

Education: Graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a Journalism major and English minor.

Random Fact: Steve once won a 50-player live Texas Hold ’Em poker tournament.

Hobbies: Anguishing over his beloved Chicago Cubs and Bears; listening to Beatles and Grateful Dead music.