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Eagle Country

131 Fighter Squadron, Lt.Col Matthew ‘Beast’ Tanis ‘fini flight’

A 104th Fighter Wing F-15 Eagle flies over the flightline alongside Lt.Col Matthew ‘Beast’ Tanis for his ‘fini flight’ on March 21, 2025, at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts. ‘Fini flights’ or final flights are ceremonial flights performed after one’s career or assignment. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Melanie J. Casineau)
A 104th Fighter Wing F-15 Eagle flies over the flightline alongside Lt. Col Matthew ‘Beast’ Tanis for his ‘fini flight’ on March 21, 2025, at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts. ‘Fini flights’ or final flights are ceremonial flights performed after one’s career or assignment. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Melanie J. Casineau)
A 104th Fighter Wing F-15 Eagle flies over the flightline alongside Lt. Col Matthew ‘Beast’ Tanis for his ‘fini flight’ on March 21, 2025, at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts. ‘Fini flights’ or final flights are ceremonial flights performed after one’s career or assignment. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Melanie J. Casineau)
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Eagle Country

Boeing F-15EX production of Lot 2

EX9’s first flight test. Boeing has started F-15EX production of Lot 2 for the USAF, next stop is the paint shop and off to Portland (I guess) (video made by the Boeing company)

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Eagle Country

Barnstomer Fini-Flights

Friday July 12th, 2024 was a fini- flight Friday! at the 104th Fighter Wing. Pilots Maj. Timothy ‘Shawshank’ Boersig and Capt. Brian ‘Brass’ Burke took to the skies for the last time in the F-15 with the 131 FS, and celebrated their fini-flights with friends and family. Congratulations and all the best on the next step in your careers.

Dating back to World War II, the “fini-flight” is a time honored tradition and an exciting way for pilots to celebrate and say goodbye to their unit with friends and family.

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Eagle Country

F-15E “LUCKY” reaches 15,000 flight hours!

The F-15E Strike Eagle, a fearsome multirole fighter, reigns supreme in the air-to-ground arena. One specific Strike Eagle, “LUCKY”, recently reached a prestigious milestone, reaching 15,000 flight hours during a combat sortie on May 17, 2024, while deployed within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

A U.S. Air Force 335th Expeditionary Fighter Generation Squadron crew chief assists an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot, at an undisclosed location in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 17, 2024.. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The Strike Eagle with tail number #89-0487 came into service in 1989, and hundreds of maintenance personnel have supported the platform over the nearly 35 years of service. However, one dedicated crew chief has been a part of many milestones with the aircraft.

A U.S. Airman, deployed from North Carolina’s Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, has been working on “LUCKY” since 2019. “I have worked on this jet when it reached the 13,000, 14,000 and now 15,000 flight hour mark,” said the Airman.

The U.S. Air Force has deployed the F-15E Strike Eagle to support U.S. Air Forces Central operations within the region for decades to support assurance and deterrence missions, including in support of OPERATION Desert Storm, OPERATION Enduring Freedom, and OPERATION Inherent Resolve. The U.S. Air Force has also equipped several nations with variations of the platform, and its global presence provides opportunities to integrate with allies and partners operating the same platform.

F-15E Strike Eagle aircrew, consisting of a pilot and weapon systems officer, exit the cockpit at an undisclosed location in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 17, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The first F-15E was delivered in April 1988, and the 15,000-flight hour milestone leaves a historic mark to the Strike Eagle community and serves as a testament to those who fly, service, and maintain the 219 aircraft in the Total Force inventory.

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Eagle Country

Desert Flag 2024

335th FS Chiefs. F-15Es from the 335th EFS arriving at an undisclosed location for Desert Flag 2024, April 18, 2024. Desert Flag, hosted by a regional coalition partner, provides strategic training with multinational and regional partners to build upon a cohesive fighting force in the defense of the Arabian Peninsula.