Ride of a lifetime: 916th Airmen fly with 4th Fighter Wing

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Wendy Lopedote
  • 916th Public Affairs Office
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor hurricanes... Well, maybe Hurricane Sandy did delay what was to be the experience of a lifetime for two deserving 916th Air Refueling Wing Airmen.

Winds exceeding 25 knots cancelled an F-15E Strike Eagle incentive flight scheduled during the October unit training assembly for Staff Sgt. Jeffrey K. McWhorter, 911th Air Refueling Squadron, and Senior Airman Nyeisha A. Harrington, 916th Security Forces Squadron.

Luckily for them though, the flight was rescheduled to the November UTA and both were able to take to the friendly skies over Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and much of eastern North Carolina.

McWhorter and Harrington were selected for the incentive flight as recognition for having won the wing's NCO and Airman of the Year awards, respectively.

The F-15E incentive flights offered by the 4th Fighter Wing, are a rare opportunity for a deserving 4th FW member, let alone one from the 916th. That's why McWhorter jumped at the chance when the person who was initially offered the ride declined.

"They asked me if I wanted to go because the other person wouldn't be able to make it," said McWhorter. "This was a chance of a lifetime that I could not pass up."

The three-week delay from their originally scheduled flight added a touch of suspense to their excitement and anxiety.

"I hated that I had to wait and I was getting pretty nervous," said Harrington. "Then this morning I said 'let's just go on and get this over with.'

As flight time approached her jangling nerves were back in force. "My legs are shaking now," she said.

Before being released to fly however, they had to undergo a flight physical as well as receive the same life-saving training that the fighter pilots go through.

The training included egress and parachute procedures if the aircrew has to eject from the aircraft in the case of a catastrophic emergency. It was a bit overwhelming for the two Airmen who needed to remember many different steps in order to survive such an event.
The 4th FW Life Support instructor assured them that they would know what to do if they really did have to eject. To assist with the realism of the training, McWhorter and Harrington were hung from a rigging device designed to simulate a parachute descending from 2000 feet.

With medical and training requirements as well as flight harness and helmet fitting completed, the two were cleared to fly. This time, not even the weather stood in their way.

In fact, as the flight time approached, skies had cleared from the previous day's storm. During the pre-flight briefing, it was noted how nice the weather was going to be.

"God has really opened up the skies for us," said Maj. Eric J. McUmber, one of the two pilots from the 333rd Fighter Squadron who were conducting the incentive flight mission that day.

The other pilot, Lt. Col. Ahren D. Heidt, briefed about the technical aspects of the flight but then also put the mission in perspective for the two backseaters.

"This mission is totally for you -- you're driving," said Heidt. "This is a reward for the outstanding job that you've accomplished."

"You do a great job to contribute to the mission and this is a way to show you the end product of your efforts," he said.

The end product was nothing less than spectacular for the honorary F-15E aircrew. Even the normally stoic McWhorter had a large grin on his face when climbing down the jet's ladder after the flight.

"The maneuvers we did were awesome," said McWhorter. "And actually getting to fly the plane for a little while was incredible."

Harrington agreed, saying that doing the loops was exhilarating and the views from the plane were amazing.

Although worried that pushing over seven g-forces in a fighter jet would make them queasy, they were both happy to report that neither vomited during the two-hour flight, holding up empty airsick bags as proof.

Even if she had thrown up, Harrington said it wouldn't have mattered. "It was totally worth it." she said.

McWhorter and Harrington thanked their pilots for the opportunity to fly with them, but the pilots were appreciative as well.

"We rarely get a chance for purely just flying," said McUmber. "This was 100 percent for you guys."