Dynamic duos: Sheppard, Eglin team up for F-35 hurricane evacuation exercise

by Airman 1st Class Jelani Gibson
82nd Training Wing Public Affairs

3/14/2014 - SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Hurricanes. It's no secret tropical storms can cause devastating damage across the landscape and lives of those it touches, which is why Sheppard and Eglin teamed up for a hurricane evacuation exercise March 11-12.

The F-35 Lightning II, the military's newest fifth generation multirole fighter jet flying from Florida, is no exception to the wrath of Mother Nature. Sheppard was picked in part for its geographical location out of the direct path of tropical systems that haunt the Emerald Coast.

The base flight line capability and its proximity to Fort Worth, where the jet was originally manufactured by Lockheed Martin, makes it a potential resting place for an entire fleet in the case of an evacuation and additional maintenance support is needed.

For 1st Lt. Christina Merritt, a 58th Air Maintenance Unit assistant officer in charge out of Eglin, the jet itself is a pleasure to take care of.

"It's a cool looking plane, that's my baby," she said with a smile.

For Merritt, even the subtle details and nuances of the plane awaken a passion for her job.

"I love when it takes off," she said. "The noise it makes, the ground shaking and the fact that my crew chiefs got it up there."

According to official manufacturer stats, the fifth generation fighter combines advanced stealth with speed and agility, fully fused sensor information; network enabled operations and will serve as a replacement for the current A-10 Thunderbolt II and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Capt. Dan Haley, one of the pilots, looks at the hurricane evacuation effort as being good for both bases.

"It shows two bases wanting to help each other out," he said.

Merritt credits the jet evacuation exercise as something that definitively shows how much hard work her fellow team members have done.

"It feels awesome because we did it," she said. "All those man-hours pay off when those wheels leave the ground."

While rapidly moving one of the Air Force's most advanced jet fighters is no easy task, cooperation was paramount to things going smoothly.

"Everyone works really well together," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Phillips, a 58th Air Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief from Eglin Air Force Base. "I couldn't ask it to be much better."

For high category hurricanes, they can cause untold damage to the F-35 fleet; According to the National Weather Service, Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1st to November 30th. Philips counts Sheppard as a safe haven for the aircraft in emergency circumstances.

"The fact that we can rely on Sheppard if something happens at Eglin says something about the leadership," he said.