LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFNS) —  

On June 17th, Gen. Ken Wilsbach thought he had successfully flown his last sortie in the F-22 Raptor, but on Nov. 24th, he returned to the cockpit in America’s premier air supremacy platform.

“Every opportunity to step to the jet is a great privilege,” Wilsbach said. “For leaders of flying units, being current and qualified builds credibility and demonstrates leading from the front.”

Hours after Wilsbach assumed the duties of Chief of Staff of the Air Force, he encouraged commanders and leaders of all flying units to maintain or regain active flying status in their primary mission design series—the aircraft to which they are primarily assigned.

“Air superiority is not a given, it must be earned every day,” Wilsbach urged. “To maintain our edge as the world’s greatest and most powerful Air Force, our warfighting abilities must be constantly honed.”

As Americans heard the story of their Air Force flawlessly executing the bombing run on Iranian nuclear facilities this summer, the skill of the entire Air Force enterprise was on clear display.

Alongside the bombers of Air Force Global Strike, which dropped bombs during Operation Midnight Hammer, Air Combat Command is the primary force provider of combat airpower and vital to America’s defense strategy.

“Flightline operations is both the hardest and most important thing we do,” said ACC Commander Gen. Adrian Spain. “You can’t truly understand the ecosystem of the flightline unless you’re out there on it … seeing how support, operations, and maintenance come together in real time. As a senior leader, I need that firsthand awareness to recognize where the balance is fragile and where roadblocks exist, so that I can help clear them. Flying and experiencing that flightline convergence also enables a visceral sense of our battlefield standards that keep our Air Force ready to fight and win.”

In a contest with a peer adversary, flying acumen and experience across the Total Force will be indispensable.

Mobility aircrews enable the joint force to overcome the tyranny of distance when operating under mission type orders in anti-access, area denial scenarios while facing increased operational risk.

“The touchpoints with Airmen when stepping to the aircraft, running your checklists, and executing the mission deliver insights not found in a slide deck or a headquarters building,” said Commander of Air Mobility Command Gen. Johnny Lamontagne. “Remaining current isn’t just about flying an aircraft, it’s about experiencing the latest tactics, techniques and procedures, and the challenges our Airmen must overcome as we face an evolving, contested strategic environment.”

Special operations aircrews must be prepared to conduct battlefield air operations, agile combat support; information operations, precision strike, specialized air mobility, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and more.

On preparing for these mission sets, Air Force Special Operations Command Commander Lt. Gen. Michael Conley said, “Flying keeps me connected to the mission, and more importantly, our Air Commandos. Training alongside them reinforces my trust in the aircraft, our crews, our maintainers, and everyone who plays a role in ensuring we’re ready to fight. As the commander, it also provides me firsthand perspectives of the challenges and opportunities we face in delivering specialized airpower where the nation needs it.”

Readiness in every MDS [Mission Design Series] for every mission begins with realistic, world-class training. From the first time on the stick to track selection, from undergraduate pilot and navigator to loadmaster, boom operator and aerial gunner training, and from weapons school to test pilot school, Air Education and Training Command facilitates it all.

“Our Airmen expect leaders that are grounded in the realities of the daily mission,” said AETC Commander Lt. Gen. Clark Quinn. “While flying is just one part of our mission, it provides an invaluable opportunity to connect with the Total Force team that fly, fix and support our operations. Briefing, flying and debriefing with our teams ensures I see firsthand the challenges our instructors and students face every day and the effort our maintenance teams put in to keep our aircraft mission ready.”

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs