By Priscilla Huff
Tucson, Arizona
31 July 2006
 


The U.S. military's F-16 Fighting Falcon is one of the most popular fighter jets ever.  About 4,500 have been sold all over the world. But pilots must be trained by Americans -- and that means traveling far from home and learning an entirely different way to fly. VOA's Priscilla Huff has the story from the desert of the American Southwest.

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The F-16 Fighting Falcon is one of most popular fighter planes in the world

The 162nd Fighter Wing of the International Guard hosts the U.S. military's program to train pilots from allied nations.  But before they arrive, they have to master one skill -- speaking English.  This is critical, says squadron commander Lieutenant Colonel Will Johnson. 

Lieutenant Colonel Will Johnson

It is about more than just the language. The F-16 training program also involves learning the American approach to flying the $30 million aircraft. Lessons start with a lot of classroom time.

		Lt. Col. Ross Stepaniuk, Polish Air Force

		Lt. Col. Mike High

A pilot on an F-16  training mission

And, of course, the pilots need to learn how to fly the planes, which can reach speeds of Mach 2: 2400 kilometers per hour.

Ross Stepaniuk is one of the first seven Polish pilots to graduate from the program after nearly two years of hard work. 

		Colonel Stepaniuk at his graduation ceremony

"It's a wonderful aircraft. It feels very good, maybe it's too good," he says. "But, it's still difficult because the more experience you have, the higher the expectations go. You have to know more and more about this plane we all fly, so you have to have tremendous experience in so many areas."

Pilots from Singapore, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates also are being trained in Tucson.  And the next F-16 training program is in the works for Pakistan.

Some footage courtesy Lockheed-Martin