Luke Air Force Base, Arizona |
Luke Air
Force Base in Arizona is near the place that I grew up. I
have made a habit of photographing the fighters flying in the
vicinity of the base. The first page of this series features
pictures that I shot in the seventies, when 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.
In December 1979, Luke Air Force Base
hosted a collection of jet fighters, clustered
around the main gate. Several of these airplanes are still on display at
Luke AFB Airpark.
Pictures of fighters and trainers
in the pattern at Luke Air Force Base
near Phoenix, Arizona from the 1980s. During that decade, the
Century Series fighters were retired; the McDonnell-Douglas F-4
Phantom II was phased out; the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting
Falcon and the McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle entered
service in the squadrons based at Luke.
The Luke Air Force Base
Air Park display has been updated with photographs taken in August 2004.
On Wednesday, April 12, I visited Luke Air Force Base, Goodyear Airport, and Sky Harbor International Airport. Luke Air Force Base is home to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons of the 56th Fighter Wing and the 499th Fighter Wing. Many retired airliners are stored at the Goodyear Airport.
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Go to home page of the Goleta Air and
Space Museum.