JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
As a result of a generous donation made by the 1st Fighter Wing Association, 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron personnel are able to execute critical deployment training at home station, while adding a piece of 1st FW heritage to Langley Air Force Base.
Plans to showcase a retired F-15 Eagle once flown at Langley are in the final stages, and the project is scheduled to begin in late August with completion and dedication scheduled for early November.
The placement of the Eagle, adjacent to the West Gate entrance, will remind Langley Airmen and visitors of the 1st FW's proud legacy and stellar combat record.
The 1st FW Association began pursuit of an Eagle static display several months ago, and secured nearly $50,000 in donations to fund all the materials required for the project.
The 633rd CES craftsman will place the concrete foundation, wire the display lighting and fabricate the steel aircraft anchors. This type of work, while not typical for home station operations, is frequently required in contingency environments. The project planning, design and execution will be accomplished by a multi-craft team of engineers. Diverse career fields such as engineering assistants, equipment operators, carpenters, welders and electricians will work together as they would in a deployed location. Civil engineer squadron personnel are required by Air Force Instruction to complete at least one multi-craft project each year to maintain construction proficiency. The static display project not only fulfills this training requirement, but it does so at no cost to the government. Executing required training using donated funds allows for wing budget to finance other critical mission requirements.
Airmen from the 1st FW also play a vital role in the execution of the project. Members of the 1st Maintenance Group crash recovery team will hone their skills by placing the F-15 onto the new display pad. In addition, members of the 1st FW are working in close coordination with the engineers to plan the final details of the display layout and material finishes. Truly, this is a Joint Base Langley-Eustis team effort to celebrate Langley's heritage while accomplishing critical training requirements.