During the Korean War, he served with the Texas Air National Guard. Bye, 75th Fighter Squadron chief of standardization and evaluation, safely landed A-10C Thunderbolt II tail-995 after that in-flight emergency. Capt. After World War II, the squadron returned to the United States and was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. Taylor Bye, 75th Fighter Squadron pilot and chief of standardization and evaluation, poses on the flight line at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, May 5, 2021. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Tail number 995 was recently restored, and who better to fly the aircraft than Bye. [7] More than 2,000 people attended his funeral. The first operational deployment of a composite wing happened in October 1994, when Iraqi troops began massing near the Kuwaiti Border. A cann manager is in charge of keeping record of parts taken from a cannibalizing jet. He was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. 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She climbed farther away from the ground to check whether her engines were still functioning. The 124th Fighter Wing conceived the idea to commemorate the unit's 75th anniversary and lineage to their predecessor, the 405th Fighter Squadron. I guess I was nervous the whole time, but I didnt have time to think about being nervous. Performing proper checks before and after flights is crucial to the safety of pilots. Redesignated 75 th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, 28 Feb 1944 Inactivated, 5 Jan 1946 Activated, 10 Oct 1946 Redesignated 75 th Fighter Squadron, Jet, 3 May 1949 Inactivated, 24 Sep 1949 Redesignated 75 th Fighter . As a professional researcher and World War II historian, Bill Beigel provides research services to genealogists, historians, authors, and civilians who are looking for information found in WW2 military unit records. Duffey, Foltz, and Master Sgt. Sgt. He sailed from San Francisco under a fake passport and arrived at Rangoon, Burma, on September 15, 1941. Following a period of activations and inactivations, during which the squadron was assigned to such bases as Northwest Field, Guam, and Howard Air Force Base, Canal Zone, the squadron returned to active duty on 12 January 1951 as the 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron stationed at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine. It will instead rely on further refurbishment to fly Warthogs for about another two decades. Evan Bergstrom talks about the upgraded controls in the aircraft with J.M. He was a bombardier in the 571st Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group and his aircraft "Decatur Deb" was shot down on May 28, 1944. This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency. Capt. Colonel Cochran, who died in 1979, had been a successful fighter group commander in North Africa. That incident is believed to be the first time in the four-decade history of the A-10 that a pilot landed with no canopy and with the landing gear up, the Air Force said in 2017. The Air Force has tried to retire the 1970s-era attack planes but was rebuffed by Congress. Following a period of activations and inactivations, during which the squadron was assigned to such bases as Northwest Field, Guam, and Howard Air Force Base, Panama Canal Zone, the squadron returned to active duty on 12 January 1951 as the 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron stationed at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine. Bye was the flight leader for the exercise that day, the release states. The C-17 is attached to the Reserve 89th Airlift Squadron assigned to the 445th Airlift Wing out of Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The commander of the 75th Fighter Squadron, Lt. Col. Stephen Joca, said following the incident that "what's most important is preventing total loss of the A-10 or even worse, her life," adding that "there are some steps that were covered in the checklist - the rest was just superb airmanship and decision making." This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/. Austin Duffey, 75th AMU cann manager. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. After determining what was wrong, Bye had to figure out how to land the plane. [14], The 75th Fighter Squadron has deployed several times in the battle against global terrorism. The 23rd Wing at Moody AFB announced on Friday that Bye had received the Air Combat Command Airmanship Award because "she managed to skillfully and safely land her A-10 with minimal damage" despite the challenges she faced in the air. Lineage. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Bye successfully flew A-10C Thunderbolt II tail-995 after its restorations from a gun-malfunction that caused her canopy to depart and stopped her landing gear from deploying. To reduce her wind exposure without the canopy, Bye lowered her seat, but that made it difficult to see the runway below, she said. Lt. Col. Jeremy Johnston, 75th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations, prepares to taxi an A-10C Thunderbolt II during a sortie surge exercise, July 24, 2019, at Moody Air Force. Along with her courageous flight are the extraordinary efforts of the 75th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to repair the aircraft. Bye successfully landed an A-10C Thunderbolt II with minimal damage, during an in-flight emergency last year, earning her the Air Combat Command Airmanship Award. During World War II, the 75th Fighter Squadron was one of the three original squadrons (74th, 75th, 76th) of the 23d Fighter Group . Whats most important is preventing total loss of the A-10 or even worse, her life, squadron commander Lt. Col. Stephen Joca said. On Thanksgiving Day 1943, he led a force of 12 B-25s, 10 P-38s, and 8 new P-51s from Saichwan, China, on the first strike against Formosa. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He was also a founding member of the Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity in 1932.[2]. Jamie Sansom, 75th AMU production superintendent, were the maintainers who oversaw the reconstruction of tail-995. Though such occurrences are rare, they do happen. In 1944, Hill returned to the U.S. and took command of the 412th Fighter Group, America's first operational jet fighter group flying the P-59 Airacomet and the P-80 Shooting Star. He was born in Gwangju, Korea (then under Japanese rule), the youngest of four children of Presbyterian missionaries. The 75th Fighter Squadron (75 FS) is a United States Air Force unit. [1] Ensign Hill earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in November 1939 and joined the fleet as a TBD Devastator torpedo bomber pilot aboard the USS Saratoga, before joining a Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bomber squadron aboard USSRanger. It is assigned to the 23d Fighter Group and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Major Hill's leadership, spirit, and extraordinary heroism in action against enemy forces in carrying the attack to the enemy without thought of the odds against himself were an inspiration to all fighter pilots. Forty-two Japanese airplanes were destroyed, and twelve more were probably destroyed in the attack. John R. Alison, an ace fighter pilot in World War II who helped organize and lead a broad American air campaign that enabled British forces to bog down the Japanese in the jungles of Burma, died Monday at his home in Washington. [11][12] On 19 December 2007, the last three of the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft left for Moody AFB and assumed its current mission. U.S. Air Force Capt. This was the first night interception ever attempted over the China theatre and gave the Japanese quite a shock. A chase aircraft accompanied her back to base, where airmen on the ground hoped she could avoid a fatal crash. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Briana Beavers). After graduating the Weapons Instructor Course, Paetzhold joined the Airmen who serve as tactical and operational advisors to military leaders at all levels. While attending McCallie, he won the Tennessee Middleweight Championship in boxing in 1934. 169th Operations Support Squadron 803-647-8231. The Air Force logged five A-10 mishaps in fiscal 2020, according to Air Force Safety Center data. On 2 December 1991, the 75th Fighter Squadron was inactivated as part of the conversion to the Objective Wing and drawdown of the Air Force after the end of the Cold War. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Briana Beavers), An Airman displays the aircraft forms binder for A-10C Thunderbolt II tail-995 at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Nov. 3, 2021. Copyright 2023 Military.com. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Daniel Snider) This really did mark the last point at which the Japanese could have expanded their empire in Asia.. The 80th Fighter Squadrons executes air combat operations in support of U.S. and ROK interests in the Pacific area of responsibility. Among his many decorations are the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Service Order presented by King George VI of Britain. Redesignated as 75 Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 28 Feb 1944. Sign up for notifications from Insider! There are some steps that were covered in the [safety] checklist the rest was just superb airmanship and decision-making.. [1] Tex then attended Texas A&M for two years before transferring to Austin College, from which he graduated in 1938. [7] It took part in a variety of operational exercises both in the United States and overseas, including tactical bombing competitions against the Royal Air Force at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, during October 1977 and July 1978. Claire Chennault would later write of these critical missions, "The American Volunteer Group had staved off China's collapse on the Salween.". Soon after graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in engineering in 1936, Mr. Alison enlisted in the Army Air Corps. [1][2] This group of men, under the leadership of General Claire Lee Chennault, engaged in aerial combat against the Japanese very soon after 7 December 1941.[3]. The 74th Fighter Squadron (74 FS) is a United States Air Force unit. Took part in a variety of operational exercises both in the United States and overseas, including tactical bombing competitions against the Royal Air Force at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, during October 1977 and July 1978. He was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. [4] He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Briana Beavers), U.S. Air Force Airman Timmy Gisclair, 75th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, performs a pre-flight maintenance check at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Nov. 3, 2021. The Japanese had 100 bombers and 100 fighters at Shinchiku Airfield, and the bombers were landing as Hill's force arrived. U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ray Thompson, 75th Fighter Generation Squadron electrical and environmental specialist, fuels an A-10C Thunderbolt II during exercise Forward Tiger at the Henry. AVON PARK AIR FORCE RANGE, Fla. - Members of the 23rd Wing participated in the Brass Tumbler training event recently. There are fresh concerns that public support for ongoing military assistance may be waning. (U.S. Air Force photo by Cynthia Griggs) My first flight back was a step and this will be another. The 75th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. During an in-flight emergency in April of 2020, Bye was forced to land the aircraft without landing gear or a canopy. During this period, the 75th served under the Air Defense Command and flew the F-86 Sabre day interceptors with a mission to maintain a high degree of operational proficiency so that it might repel any possible enemy air attack. The intercepting pilots were credited with the destruction of two enemy bombers and two probables. [9], On November 2, 2007, the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg observed "Tex" Hill Day with speeches, patriotic music, and friends' memories of the fallen hero.[10]. Lineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft in Robertson, AFHRA Factsheet, Learn how and when to remove this template message, 23d Tactical Fighter (later, 23d Fighter) Wing, "History: The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force", "How the A-10 Warthog Keeps Getting Better and Better", "Reduced flying hours forces grounding of 17 USAF combat air squadrons", "75th Fighter Squadron and its A-10s return to Moody after six-month deployment", House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons, Chinese-American Composite Wing (Provisional), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=75th_Fighter_Squadron&oldid=1130929175, Fighter squadrons of the United States Air Force, Military units and formations in Georgia (U.S. state), Fighter squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces, Articles needing additional references from December 2012, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 19421946; 1946-1949; 1951-1968; 19681969; 19721991; 1992-present, Discontinued and inactivated, on 30 June 1968, 23d Fighter Group, 10 October 1946 24 September 1949, 23d Fighter-Interceptor Group, 12 January 1951, 23d Operations (later, 23 Fighter) Group, 1 June 1992 present, Luliang Airfield, China, 12 September 1944, Hangchow Airfield, China, 10 October 1945 10 December 1945, Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine, 18 August 1955, This page was last edited on 1 January 2023, at 18:04.
