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Military Aircraft Preparation

Crew members preparing and refueling military aircraft. Captured moments highlight essential preflight operations and technical support in aviation.

2LT Joe Hunter, co-pilot, 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (38SRS), 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Offutt AFB, performs preflight duties in the cockpit of an RC-135 Stratolifter aircraft. Base: Offutt Air Force Base State: Nebraska (NE) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A crew chief stands by as a Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter is readied for takeoff. Base: Naval Air Station, Alameda State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen tour the city during a port visit by the guided missile frigate USS DOYLE (FFG-39) at the conclusion of exercise BALTOPS '93. For the first time in the 22-year history of BALTOPS, the Eastern European countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia were invited to participate in the non-military phases of the exercise. Subject Operation/Series: BALTOPS '93 Base: Klaipeda Country: Lithuania (LTU)

Artwork: "The Voice of Experience". Artist: Alex Young. U.S. Air Force Art Collection. Country: Unknown

LGEN G.H. Sylvester prepares for a test flight in an AV-8A Harrier aircraft at the Marine Corps Development and Education Command. Base: Marine Corps Base, Quantico State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

ADM Thomas B. Hayward, CHIEF of Naval Operations (left), is briefed by a pilot from Medium Attack Squadron 115 (VA-115), assigned to the aircraft carrier USS MIDWAY (CV-41), on the A-6E Intruder aircraft at Arthur W. Radford Field. Base: Naval Air Station, Cubi Point State: Luzon Country: Philippines (PHL)

Personnel of Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 (VAW-121) gather for a preflight briefing in their ready room aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69). Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)

JSC2006-E-27881 (22 June 2006) --- Astronaut Christopher J. Ferguson, STS-115 pilot, photographed in a T-38 trainer jet, prepares for a flight at Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center.

CPT Mark Spencer deplanes from a TR-1 tactical reconnaissance aircraft after completing a non-stop flight from Beale Air Force Base, California. His TR-1 is the first to join the recently formed 95th Reconnaissance Squadron, based at Alconbury. Base: Raf Alconburg Country: England / Great Britain (ENG)

Twin Combat Team S/Sgts John E. And Don E. Echols In Flying Togs.

TOM CRUISE in TOP GUN (1986), directed by TONY SCOTT.

SSGT Ralph Singer, Air Force Reservist assigned to the 68th Airlift Squadron, 433rd Airlift Wing, Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, makes friends by trading flags and pins with Armenian soldiers on the flight line. The C-5 and its crew delivered a fire truck, ambulance, utility vehicle, food and blankets for the people of Tblisi, Georgia under provisions of the Denton Amendment program. Exact Date Shot Unknown Published in AIRMAN Magazine May 1997. Base: Yerevan Country: Armenia (ARM)

TSGT Richard Shepherd, a crew chief, instructs British Royal Air Force firemen on escape mechanisms of an F-4C Phantom II aircraft. TSGT Shephard is assigned to the 131st Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard, involved in Exercise Coronet Cactus. Subject Operation/Series: CORONET CACTUS Base: Raf Leeming Country: England / Great Britain (ENG)

STAFF Sergeant Beau Howard stands beneath the tail turret of a 60th Bombardment Squadron B-52G Stratofortress aircraft. Base: Andersen Air Base Country: Guam (GUM)

DN-ST-88-04654. Base: USS America (CV 66)

DN-ST-89-08965. Base: USS Lexington (AVT 16)

DF-ST-89-07819. Base: Mather Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Flight engineers Marta Bohn-Meyer and Bob Meyer and pilots Ed Schneider and Rogers Smith flew the triple-sonic SR-71 in high-speed research experiments at NASA Dryden.

DN-SC-89-08098. Base: USS Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN 69) Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)

TSGT Peter P. Kabelka, 509th Organizational Maintenance Squadron, talks on the radio with the air traffic control tower as he and MSGT Gary S. Forgione, line chief, 509th OMS, right, wait for the fog to lift at the "Hammerhead" end of the runway. The 509th OMS is participating in the Strategic Air Command bomb competition Proud Shield. Subject Operation/Series: PROUD SHIELD Base: Pease Air Force Base State: New Hampshire (NH) Country: United States Of America (USA)

980301-F-0308N-004. Base: Hurlburt Field State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Alouette III helicopter from the SAR. The crew exerts a wounded transport and picks up a patient who arrived at the helicopter landing place per ambulance.

DF-ST-86-05123. Subject Operation/Series: COPE THUNDER '84-7 Base: Clark Air Base State: Luzon Country: Philippines (PHL)

A flight deck crewman aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65) wears a face mask and extra clothing to protect him from the cold as the ship operates near Adak, Alaska, during FLEET EX '88. Subject Operation/Series: FLEET EX '88 Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

DF-ST-88-06859. Base: Norton Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A landing signal officer (LSO) on the flight deck of the auxiliary aircraft landing training ship USS LEXINGTON (AVT 16) signals a wave off to an incoming student pilot. Base: USS Lexington (AVT 16) Country: Gulf Of Mexico

While Capt. Steve Kelly, with Space Gateway Support, keeps watch from the top of the vehicle, STS-96 Pilot Rick Douglas Husband practices driving the small armored personnel carrier that is part of emergency egress training during Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. Behind them are (from left) Mission Specialist Daniel Barry (M.D., Ph.D.), Commander Kent V. Rominger and Mission Specialist Tamara E. Jernigan (Ph.D.). The tracked vehicle could be used by the crew in the event of an emergency at the pad during which the crew must make a quick exit from the area. The TCDT also provides simulated countdown exercises and opportunities to inspect the mission payloads in the orbiter's payload bay. Other crew members taking part in the TCDT are Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa (Ph.D.), Julie Payette, with the Canadian Space Agency, and Valery Ivanovich Tokarev, with the Russian Space Agency. Mission STS-96, which is scheduled for liftoff on May 20 at 9:32 a.m., is a logistic

LT. COL. John R. Sheekley holds an impromptu briefing with 1ST LT. Jeannie Flynn on the flight line in front of an F-15E Strike Eagle. 1ST LT. Flynn is assigned to the 555th Fighter Squadron for six months for tactical F-15E training as the first F-15E female pilot. Base: Luke Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DN-ST-88-00144. Base: USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)

LT. COL. Louis Grant, 20th Special Operations Squadron commander, signs for a HH-53H Pave Low helicopter recently assigned to his squadron. Originally a CH-53 model, the helicopter was brought up to the HH-53H configuration by the Naval Air Rework Facility, Pensacola, Fla., as a replacement for a 20th Special Operations Squadron HH-53H that was lost in an accident. Base: Hurlburt Field State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

LT. Melanie Knight, an explosive ordnance disposal officer, puts her parachute gear on prior to a jump. Country: Unknown

A member of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office, Honolulu, helps to set up an oil spill containment boom during a training exercise. State: Hawaii(HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Lt. Alben Andolshek, Navigator Of The 8Th Air Force. Smudge On His Face Is Caused By Oxygen Mask. England.

CAPT. James Vocell of North Andover, Mass., pilot of the Memphis Belle, poses in front of his aircraft. He made a popular reappearance at the Pope AFB and Ft. Bragg Open House and Air Show. Base: Pope Air Force Base State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Operations officer LT. COL. Thomas N. Trotta kneels in front of a T-29 Flying Classroom navigator training aircraft. Trotta was in the class to train in this model of aircraft. Base: Mather Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Air traffic controllers monitor activity on the helicopter deck control station of the hospital ship USNS COMFORT (T-AH-20) while the vessel is deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Unknown

A Navy diver carries bags of gear across Halava Pier after arriving aboard the fleet tug USNS SIOUX (T-ATF-171). The diver was part of a team that raised a Light Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron 45 (HSL-45) SH-60B Sea Hawk helicopter after it made an emergency water landing. Base: Naval Air Station, Cubi Point State: Luzon Country: Philippines (PHL)

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Thomas J. Sconiers talks on the radio on the bridge of the Coast Guard large patrol craft USCGC KISKA (WPB-1336) during Operation Steel Box. The KISKA is in place to provide security during the delivery of chemical munitions to the atoll. Subject Operation/Series: STEEL BOX Country: Johnston Atoll

Major Masters, a C-130 Hercules pilot stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, speaks with his flight crew prior to departure from Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, th aircraft will take off with 59 82nd Airborne members aboard in support of Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFX) 98-1. Subject Operation/Series: JTFX 98-1 Base: Pope Air Force Base State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Building Mosquito Aircraft at the De Havilland Factory in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, 1943 Two fitters making adjustments to the tailplane of Mosquito HJ728 at Hatfield.

LTC Raymond E. Yeilding, pilot, adjusts his flight suit with the help of physiological support personnel from Edwards Air Force Base prior to his record breaking, coast-to-coast flight in an SR-71 aircraft. The plane, which is being delivered to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. for permanent display, made the flight in 68 minutes. Yeilding was assisted by LTC Joseph T. Vida, reconnaissance officer, who is assigned to Detachment 6, 2762nd Logistics Squadron along with Yeilding. Base: Palmdale State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

T-38 cockpit security devices are checked by a Naval aviator. The Air Force's joint pilot training program is active at Reese AFB. Ground and air training is an integral part for the Air Force and Navy pilots survival education. T-38 cockpit security devices are checked by a Naval aviator. The Air Force's joint pilot training program is active at Reese AFB. Ground and air training is an integral part for the Air Force and Navy pilots survival education.

US Navy AIRMAN Denver Foster gets a message from US Navy CHIEF Warrant OFficer Two Hames Ausman during a weapons offload on the flight deck of USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75). A CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter can be seen in the background. Base: USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)

CDR. E. Bryon Fisher, Jr., commanding officer of Patrol Squadron 68 (VP-68), shakes hands with the Honorable Wade R. Sanders, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Reserve Affairs) upon completion of a training flight which marked 100,000 mishap free flight hours flown by air crews of Patrol Squadron 68 (VP-68), the Black Hawk (Blackhawk)s, On Mr. Sanders left is CDR. Robert A. Sinbaldi, Jr., VP-68's executive officer and a unidentified commander. Secretary Sanders had accompanied the air crew on the historic flight in the P-3C Update I Orion aircraft LW-00 shown in the background. Base: Naval Air Facility, Washington State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Two British airmen from the Royal Air Force's 360 Squadron stand by as a T. Mark 17 Canberra aircraft is prepared for flight during the U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) exercise Display Determination '89. Subject Operation/Series: DISPLAY DETERMINATION '89 Base: Aviano Air Base State: Pordenone Country: Italy (ITA)

1982 - Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, center, and RADM George Aitcheson, Jr., commander of Carrier Group Seven, right, talk to CAPT D.M. Brooks, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64) during a visit aboard the ship..

Hospital Corpsman Third Class (HM3) Raymond Munn, Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Five (HCSS5), from Cheyenne, Wyoming, gives the "thumbs up", showing he is ready to hoist a victim up for rescue. Base: Talofofo State: Guam (GU) Country: Northern Mariana Islands (MNP)

Army personnel unload a C-130 Hercules a aircraft at Clear Creek Landing Zone, Alaska, during exercise Brim Frost '81. Subject Operation/Series: BRIM FROST '81 Base: Elmendorf Air Force Base State: Alaska (AK) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Stretcher bearers participating in a firefighting drill stand by on the deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69) during Fleet Ex '90. Country: Atlantic Ocean (AOC)

970324-F-2828D-008. Subject Operation/Series: PHOENIX GAUNTLET Base: Libreville International Airport Country: Gabon (GAB)

DF-ST-85-13346. Base: Clark Air Base State: Luzon Country: Philippines (PHL)

1940S Army Air Corps Crewman Sitting In Airplane Cockpit Wearing Flying Goggles Helmet Coveralls And Parachute Taking Photographs With Aerial Camera

Sergeant P. Jeuken, Crechief of the helicopter demonstration team "Grasshoppers

Quick Reaction Alert at the Leeuwarden airbase with first lieutenant kite G.H.M.s. Putker (born 1950) of 323 Squadron.

DF-ST-87-12355. Subject Operation/Series: RECONNAISSANCE AIR MEET '86 Base: Bergstrom Air Force Base State: Texas (TX) Country: United States Of America (USA)

USAF Lieutenant General Richard Hawley, Principle Deputy to the Air Force's Acquisition Executive poses for a photograph in front of an YF-22 advanced tactical fighter aircraft. From AIRMAN Magazine February 1995 issue article "Streamlining Acquisition 101". Country: Unknown

CHRISTIAN ROBERTS in WING COMMANDER (1999), directed by CHRISTIAN ROBERTS.

Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Jared Saunders, assigned to the Vanguard” of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 (HM-14), prepares to provide taxiing signals to an MH-53 Sea Dragon” helicopter prior to the squadron’s last flights Dec. 8, 2022.

Vintage photograph. Man in pilots head gear and bomber jacket smiling off camera

DF-ST-86-10578. Country: Colombia (COL)

1LT Vance Zider uses a tripod-mounted mortar sight to ensure the position and alignment of an 81mm mortar and its base plate during heavy weapons training at Rodriquez Range. Zider is a member of the 51st Security Police Squadron. Country: South Korea

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin (center) and KSC Director of Shuttle Operations Robert B. Sieck (right) discuss the successful conclusion of the STS-81 mission with Mission Commander Michael A. Baker (left). They are underneath the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis after the space plane landed on Runway 33 at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility at 9:22:44 a.m. EST Jan. 22 to conclude the fifth Shuttle-Mir docking mission. At main gear touchdown, the STS-81 mission duration was 10 days, 4 hours, 55 minutes. This was the 34th KSC landing in Shuttle history

Coast Guard Air Station - Clearwater, Florida - Katrina - 26-HK-216-38. Hurricane Katrina

DF-ST-89-05927. Country: Indonesia (IDN)

CMDR. Donnie L. Cochran, executive officer of Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1), poses for a photograph in front of an F-14A Tomcat aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV-61). Base: USS Ranger (CV 61)

A close up view of camouflaged face of USAF STAFF Sergeant Robert T. Lord, an air base ground defense instructor assigned to Osan Air Base, South Korea. From AIRMAN Magazine's January 1995 (inside cover) article "Keeping an Eye on the Bad Guy". Base: Osan Air Base Country: Republic Of Korea (KOR)

A member of Fighter Squadron 14 (VF-14) looks out over the airfield following his arrival on base. Military personnel from Carrier Air Wing 3 and Carrier Air Wing 17 are returning home after serving in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Base: Naval Air Station, Oceana State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Major General Thomas P. Maguire, USAF, newly installed Adjutant General of the New York State Guard and Colonel Dana B. Demand, 105th Airlift Wings newly installed Commander pose in front of the 105th Air Wing's new static display aircraft: the O-2A Skymaster. The 105th Air Wing flew the O-2A prior to converting to the C-5A Galaxy. The 105th Air Wing is the only Air Guard unit to fly the C5A Galaxy. Base: Stewart Field State: New York (NY) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: ANG/AMC

Aces Lt. James S. Varnell And Capt. Robert C. Curtis In Cockpit Of P-51.

Left to right: CAPT. Mary Mushlbauer, 1ST LT. Scott Mischo, CAPT. Patricia Shimmel and AIRMAN Eric Saathoff, the crew of an Alaska Tanker Task Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, pose on the flight line. Base: Eielson Air Force Base State: Alaska (AK) Country: United States Of America (USA)

STS-89 Commander Terrence Wilcutt poses in front of his T-38 jet trainer after landing with other members of the flight crew at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility from NASAs Johnson Space Center to begin Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) activities. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight to provide crews with the opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. Endeavour is targeted for launch of STS-89 on Jan. 22 at 9:48 p.m. EST, which will be the first mission of 1998 and the eighth to dock with Russias Mir Space Station. The STS-89 mission is scheduled to last nine days

DF-ST-88-06856. Subject Operation/Series: CORONET TITAN Base: George Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Co-Pilot Lt. Wm. C. Rowland, New Castle, Pa., In Cockpit Of A B-24 Of The 8Th Air Force. England.

CPT Brian Udell, an F-15E pilot with the 366th Wing is shown carrying a horse saddle to symbolize his return, i.e. back in the saddle, to the cockpit of the waiting F-15 after battling life-threatening injuries incurred from one of the fastest ejections ever recorded. Exact Date Shot Unknown Published in AIRMAN Magazine April 1997. Base: Mountain Home Air Force Base State: Idaho (ID) Country: United States Of America (USA)

041206-F-2034C-015. Base: Unknown

US Navy Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 3rd Class Melissa Shirk, shown loading cryptographic code into an EA-6B Prowler aircraft, is a Cryptologic Analyst on board the US Navy's nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) where she collects and analyzes different types of encrypted signals. Commanded by Captain Larry Baucom (not shown), Carl Vinson is currently deployed to the Persian Gulf enforcing the extended "No Fly Zone" over Iraq in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH Base: USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)

Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Peter J. Kazanowski of Patrol Squadron 56 (VP-56) mans the tactical coordination console aboard a P-3C Orion aircraft. VP-56 is based at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. Base: Naval Air Station, Jacksonville State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DF-ST-90-00049. Base: Arnold Air Force Base State: Tennessee (TN) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DF-SN-87-07982. Base: Seymour Johnson Air Force Base State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

970314-F-1787R-062. Complete Scene Caption: AIRMAN First Class Badua (foreground) and STAFF Sergeant Gerling place an AIM 7 Sparrow missile onto the wing of the F-16 Fighting Falcon during Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. The AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) is seen at the wing tip, (far right) the AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-radiation Missile (HARM), an air-to surface tactical missile designed to seek out and destroy enemy radar-equipped air defense systems. Both airmen are from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and are deployed at Doha, Qatar, as part of the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF). AEFs help build predictability and stability into the way the Air Force schedules its people to respond to contingencies. SOUTHERN WATCH enforces the United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 that establishes a no-fly zone over Southern Iraq below the 32nd parallel. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH Base: Doha Country: Qatar (QAT)

DF-ST-85-03474. Base: Myrtle Beach Air Force Base State: South Carolina (SC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

S90-45810 (29-31 July 1990) --- Susan J. Helms, one of 23 astronaut candidate who began a year's training and evaluation in July, climbs into a T-38 jet trainer during a survival training school at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

Aerospace Audiovisual Service photojournalist, MSGT Pat Nugent with his Nikon cameras on flight line with a C-5 Galaxy aircraft in the background. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Country: Unknown

COL. Joseph Redden, commander, 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, talks with COL. Lee Kang Pyung of the Korean air force during welcoming ceremonies for Exercise Team Spirit '86. Subject Operation/Series: TEAM SPIRIT '86 Base: Chong Ju Air Base Country: South Korea

Deputy Defense Minister of Greece observes an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft during his visit to the United States. Base: Andrews Air Force Base State: Maryland (MD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CPT Dayne Jacoby fills out aircraft forms after his arrival aboard an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft during Reforger-Crested Cap I. Subject Operation/Series: REFORGERCRESTED CAP I Base: Leck Air Base Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher Zeigler, a loadmaster assigned to the 158th Airlift Squadron, 165th Airlift Wing (AW), Georgia Air National Guard, has a portrait taken during a flight Jan. 24, 2024, in a C-130J-30 Super Hercules, flying to Savannah, Georgia. This signifies the inaugural flight for the Georgia Air National Guard in tail number 5975, introducing the newest C-130J Super Hercules into service with the 165th Airlift Wing.

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PHOTO DATE: 08-24-09LOCATION: SCTF, NBLSUBJECT: STS-130 Preflight Training. Water Survival Training at SCTF, NBL

DN-SN-85-09040. Base: Norfolk State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DF-SC-89-11113. Base: Unknown