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Although the museum is now based in Goleta, California, I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. Luke Air Force Base is a fighter training base located a few miles to the west of Phoenix. For years I have made a habit of photographing the fighter and trainer operations at Luke. This is the second in a series of pages illustrating the variety of fast jets that have operated from Luke.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15B-15-MC
Eagle 76-127. Tail code LA indicates that it is with the
405th Tactical Fighter Training Wing which had superceded the 58
TTW in August 1979. The yellow tail stripe identifies its
squadron as the 461 TFS.
Lockheed F-104G Starfighter
63-13262 was built under license by SABCA in Belgium. Although it
carries full U.S.A.F. markings, it is in the service of the
Lufwaffe.
Lockheed F-104G
Starfighter 63-13244 of the Luftwaffe. It was later sold to
Taiwan.
Two-place trainer version of the General Dynamics F-106B Delta Dart 58-0900. It was
converted to a target drone QF-106 (AD274). It crashed on landing
on July 10, 1995.
McDonnell-Douglas F-4C-20-MC
Phantom II 63-7624 is carrying an SUU-23/A 20-millimeter
gatling gun pod and launching rails for sidwinder missiles. The
pod was developed to provide the Phantom II with the gun that its
designers had omitted. The pattern of fire from the gun pod was
much less precise than that from the fuselage mounted gun of the
F-4E.
The instructor pilot in McDonnell-Douglas F-15B-17-MC 76-139 is
observing the trainee pilot in F-15A-16-MC
Eagle 76-061 as he makes his approach to landing.
McDonnell-Douglas F-4C-21-MC
Phantom II 64-665 is carrying an SUU-23/A gun pod. The blue
fin cap indicates that this Phantom II is from the 426th Tactical
Fighter Training Squadron.
In the early 1980's the standard SEA camouflage was modified by
wrapping the camouflage around the lower surfaces of the Phantom
II, replacing the off-white underside. Photographer: Brian
Lockett.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15A Eagle.
The red tail stripe identifies its squadron as the 426th TFTS of
the 405th TFTW. Later the red tail stripe was augmented with a
yellow delta.
General Dynamics F-106B Delta Dart
58-0900 departs about an hour after its arrival. Photographer:
Brian Lockett.
Pair of McDonnell-Douglas F-15A-11-MC
Eagle 74-106 of the 426th TFTS. Note the large air brake
behind the cockpit. The deployment of the air brake allowed the
pilot to maintain higher engine RPMs to insure that power would
be available rapidly in the event of a wave-off. 106 was retired
to AMARC as FH0040 on September 22, 1992. Photographer: Brian
Lockett.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15D-32-MC
Eagle 80-105 and F-15C-28-MC 80-062. They carry green tail
stripes with five white diamonds, indicating that they belong to
the 555th TFTS. 80-105 is carrying an inert AIM-9J Sidewinder
mass simulator on its right wing.
Lockheed F-104G
Starfighter 65-12748 breaks out of formation into the landing
pattern. The upper surfaces of its wings are painted white. The
undersides of the wings of the other two Starfighters can be seen
to be unpainted. White upper wing surfaces and unpainted lower
surfaces may have been standard.
Lockheed F-104G Starfighter
65-12748 makes a pass over the runway. It was later sold to
Taiwan.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15D-23-MC
Eagle 78-572 of the 426th TFTS of the 405th TFTW. The red
tail stripe is now augmented with a yellow delta with a red
chevron.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15D-23-MC
Eagle 78-571 of the 426th TFTS. The pilot's name block is a
red stripe with a yellow eagle head.
A pair
of Northrop F-5E Tiger IIs,
Red 35 and Red 64, accompany a pair of McDonnell-Douglas F-15
Eagles of the 405th TFTW.
General Dynamics F-16A
Fighting Falcon. Tail code is HL, signifying that this F-16A
belongs to the 388th TFW based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
The red tail stripe shows that this F-16A is from the 34th TFS.
It is carrying a pair of inert AIM-9L Sidewinder mass simulators
on the wingtip rails.
Northrop F-5E Tiger II 73-1635.
Red 35 is from the 64th FWS based at Nellis Air Force Base in
Nevada as indicated by the yellow and black checkered tail
stripe. This Tiger II sports a gray and two-tone blue camouflage.
.
General Dynamics F-16A
Fighting Falcons from the 34th TFS of the 388th TFW with
varying numbers of inert AIM-9L Sidewinder mass simulators.
General Dynamics F-16D
Fighting Falcon serial ends 115. The 58th TTW tail code
changed to LF. The blue tail stripe identifies that this F-16D is
from the 311th TFTS.
The pilot of McDonnell-Douglas F-15A
Eagle 75-077 took time to acknowledge the presence of the
photographer as he approached the runway. This Eagle carries the
name Gissler on the name block. Note the low visibility version
of the U.S.A.F. insignia by the engine inlet. It was retired to
AMARC as FH0018 on March 31, 1992.
Northrop F-5E Tiger II
74-1564, red 64 from the 64th FWS in two-tone gray camouflage.
The last two digits of the serial number are enlarged as a
squadron identifier.
Northrop F-5E Tiger II
74-1558, red 58 from the 64th FWS in tan and brown camouflage
with a black nose cap.
Flight of four McDonnell-Douglas F-15
Eagles of the 405th TFTW. Each is carrying a single AIM-9L
mass simulator.
The green tail stripe with five white diamonds indicates that
McDonnell-Douglas F-15D-27-MC Eagle, 80-0054 is with the 555th TFTS.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15D-27-MC Eagle, 80-0054
This McDonnell-Douglas F-15A Eagle
is also with the 555th TFTS.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15A Eagle
of the 555th TFTS.
General Dynamics F-16D
Fighting Falcon 397. The black tail stripe outlined in red
indicates that this F-16D is from the 312th TFTS of the 58th TTW.
The nose of an AIM-9L sidewinder is just visible behind the large
external fuel tank on the left wing.
General Dynamics F-16C
Block 25 Fighting Falcon 83-1137 from the 312th TFTS. The
sidewinder mass simulator on the right wing is lacking the canard
fins.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15B-9-MC Eagle, 73-0114 is now on display at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards Air Froce Base.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15A-13-MC
Eagle 75-046 of the 555th TFTS. It was retired to AMARC as
FH0021 on April 14, 1992.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15A-14-MC
Eagle 75-077 and F-15A-13-MC 75-046 of the 555th TFTS.
Northrop
AT-38B Talon 68-8106 in gray
and two tone blue camouflage. This is a slightly different
camouflage from that worn by F-5E 74-1635 seen above.
Northrop
T-38A-40-NO Talon 61-0851 in
another variation of gray and blue camouflage. Photographer:
Brian Lockett.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike
Eagle. It carries the yellow and black tail stripe of the
461st TFS of the 405th TTW.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15E-43-MC
Strike Eagle 87-171 of the 461st TFS. Strike Eagles are
painted in much darker gunship gray. They carry conformal fuel
tanks equipped with a pair of sparrow missile pylons on each side
of the fuselage.
Plan view of a McDonnell-Douglas F-15C
Eagle.
Shock diamonds are visible in the afterburner flames of this
McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike
Eagle from the 461st TFS. It is carrying an inert AIM-9L
Sidewinder mass simulator on the right wing. Photographer: Brian
Lockett.
Yellow tail stripe indicates that this General
Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon
of the 314th TFTS of the 58th TTW.
General Dynamics F-16A
Block 25A Fighting Falcon 83-1126 of the 832 AD carries a
multi-colored arrowhead on its vertical stabilizer. Photographer:
Brian Lockett.
McDonnell-Douglas F-15A-16-MC
Eagle 76-070. The tail stripe is a silver wing on a black
background indicating that this F-15A is with the 550th TFTS. It
was retired to AMARC as FH0107 on December 14, 1994.
General Dynamics F-111D Aardvark, 68-0124 on static display at the Luke AFB Airshow on March 17, 1989.
The yellow fin cap of General Dynamics F-111D Aardvark, 68-0124 indicates that it is from the 524 TFS based at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. Tail code CC denotes the 27th TFW. The SEA camouflage worn by the F-111 had black on the lower surfaces instead of off-white. It was retired to AMARC as FV0046 on Apr 25, 1991.
Pictures of fighters and trainers
in the pattern at Luke Air Force Base
in the 1970s. U.S.A.F. pilots were training in McDonnell-Douglas
F-4C Phantom IIs against aggressor pilots in Northrop F-5E Tiger
IIs. Luftwaffe pilots in Lockheed F-104G Starfighters flew more
hours at Luke AFB than any other Luftwaffe base. The first
McDonnell-Douglas F-15A Eagles were being introduced into
service.
Luke Air Force Base home page.
Send a message to Brian.
Go to home page of the Goleta Air and Space Museum.