June, 2006: The USAF's highest performance fighter had already shown its exceptional capabilities on battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan or Bosnia. There is now a new field to prove its worth on: an F-15E Demo Team had been established, which could well be the future guest star on many public airshows. On this occasion I have interviewed Capt. Al Kennedy, commander and demo pilot of the team.

F-15E Demo Team Roots

The United States Air Force had always taken extra care of showcasing its technology to the public: this advertising can assure that enough new young recruits will always be ready to start their Air Force carreer at any given time, plus people must be shown what their tax dollars are spent on by their government. The F-15 is by all means one of the most succesful models currently being in service in the USAF, so it was obvious that it could not avoid being showcased on weekend airshows (as a usual USAF practice, only one jet flies a single, but a very spectacular demo program). Until last year two F-15 demo teams were operating, one on the west coast and one on the east coast, they were/are flying the single seat air superiority fighter version, the F-15C model. But since the F-22 Raptor has started its operational service, a huge gap has suddenly opened (in terms of public airshows) between the F-15C and the brand new F-22A. To fill this gap, a new demo team had been established to fly the most advanced US version of the F-15: the F-15E Strike Eagle.

The USAF currently operates 13 F-15E squadrons, 8 of them are operative and ready to deploy at any time, 5 of them serving training and testing purposes. The 8 operative squadrons are home based on 4 airbases by the following:

The above list clearly shows that the real "home" of the F-15E trike Eagle is Seymour-Johnson AFB, located near Goldsboro, North-Carolina, which gives place to 4 operative F-15E squadrons. It was an obvious choice to place the demo team here, even more when it turned out that the start of the Raptor's operational service will result in ending one of the F-15C demo teams - the one operating on the east coast.

Flying a demo requires highly different skills than those needed for combat pilots during their everyday trainings. Moreover, there can be only one F-15E demo pilot in the whole Air Force, hence this position is unique with great responsibility and with big challenges. The man in this position is Capt. Al Kennedy, commander of the F-15E Strike Eagle Demo Team. I asked him about the demo, the team and himself.

How It All Started

F-15E.info: USAF currently operates two F-15C demo teams. What was the reason to start a new one, especially with the E model?

Capt. Al Kennedy: Yes, there are currently two F-15C teams. One at Eglin AFB, FL (F-15 West) and one at Langley AFB, VA (F-15 East). F-15 East will be replaced next year or the year after by the F-22 since Langley is transitioning to them as we speak. The F-22 currently flies about 3 passes and does the heritage flight program and will have a full up demo. We were originally selected to fill the gap between F-15 East ending and the F-22. Once it started up, everyone realized that there was a major gap by not having an F-15E Strike Eagle.

F-15E.info: Does the team have a well-defined purpose?

Capt. Al Kennedy: We have an official mission statement, which is the following:

• Demonstrate the capabilities of U.S Air Force high performance aircraft
• Demonstrate the professional competence of U.S. Air Force personnel
• Positively affect U.S Air Force recruiting and retention efforts
• Promote community and international relations
• Maintain the publics trust in the U.S Armed Forces
• Display the technological advancements in U.S. military air power

F-15E.info: When did the selection start?

Capt. Al Kennedy: The idea was probably started a couple of years ago, I'm not sure exactly when, but serious selection started around March 05 when I was brought on. The first airshow that we did was in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. 25-26 March 2006.

F-15E.info: How was the selection? Did you volunteer or were you assigned? And if volunteered what were the selection criteria?

Capt. Al Kennedy: All the officers volunteered and were then selected by the Wing Commander and the Operations Group Commander. They wanted an experienced flight lead/Instructor Pilot as the Demo Pilot and an Instructor Weapon Systems Officer ( WSO). The Enlisted troops volunteered and interviewed to be on the team and were selected by the Maintenance Group Commander.

F-15E.info: Was it a decisive factor during selection that you are member of a squadron which is mostly tasked as a training squadron?

Capt. Al Kennedy: That was definitely one of the big deciding factors. The thought was that we are still able to teach between shows and don't get deployed for months on end. That and all of us are experienced Instructors, and since this is a very dangerous job, you need to have the best people flying and maintaining the jets.

F-15E.info: How many flight hours do you have on the F-15E?

Capt. Al Kennedy: My WSO, Capt. Stallworth is an experienced instructor WSO, he has 1,000 hours in the F-15E. I personally have 1,300 hours on the Strike Eagle. In fact - except for the pilot training - I have flown nothing but the F-15E in my entire life. Our most experienced team member is Maj. Howard who has over 2,600 hours in the Strike Eagle and over 3,500 hours total.

Busy Schedule

F-15E.info: Which jets are you demoing with?

Capt. Al Kennedy: We have four jets, one from each squadron based on Seymour-Johnson AFB. Serial numbers are the following:

By the way, our team members also come from different squadrons. Capt. Stallworth, Capt. Mendieta and myself are from the Lancers. Maj. Howard and Capt. Van Dyke are from the Eagles. Capt. Schultz is from the Chiefs. Right now we have nobody from the Rocketeers.

F-15E.info: Are all four jets only for your disposal?

Capt. Al Kennedy: We typically take 2 jets to an airshow. To get those 2 jets there, we have a third spare on the ground at Seymour in case one of the primary jets has a problem after start up. Once we launch, that jet is used in the lineup. During long breaks between shows, when we aren't practicing, the rest of the jets are also used in training flights

At the airshow our spare jet remains on the flight-line in case some problem occurs with the primary jet. We do not put the spare to the static line, since if sme problem arises we can just hop in the spare jet and take it to the show. We usually don't have much time to start and fly the show.

F-15E.info: How much percent of your normal working time does demoing occupy?

Capt. Al Kennedy: For me and for my WSO, Capt. Jack Stallworth it is our primary job. I would say during the airshow season which lasts from about March through November, it takes 90% of the time and the other 10% goes to Instructor new Strike Eagle Pilots and WSOs in the Flying Training Unit ( FTU). As far as the maintainers are concerned - we have 9 of them - MSgt. Kedzierski, TSgt. Pindell give almost 100% of their work to secure the show and get things ready. The other maintainers spend about 70% of their time doing demo specific duties and the other 30% goes for their individual squadrons.

F-15E.info: How many shows do you have in a year?

Capt. Al Kennedy: This year we have about 24 shows. The typical season has 30-32 shows per year which means we will be gone 3 out of 4 weekends a month. We will have a full schedule next year.

F-15E.info: All your shows are in the US or will you go abroad as well? Maybe to Hungary?

Capt. Al Kennedy: We mostly fly in the US and have a couple of shows in Canada. We do go overseas however. We are scheduled for Leeuwarden, Netherlands June 17-18th. We were also scheduled for Luga, Malta, but USAFE could not support that one.

The Show Program

F-15E.info: Can you describe the maneuvers in your normal show program?

Capt. Al Kennedy: If we take a look at the enclosed diagrams, the maneuvers should be clear.

The first maneuver is a very impressive takeoff with maximum afterburner and with the shortest run possible. We make a pass in front of the crowd from left to right then we make a split S still with afterburner and a low run from right to left. The third maneuver is a slightly climbing repositioning.

We then make a 4 point roll while passing from left to right and then again a repo. While coming back from right to left, we produce a very tight, high G turn followed by a Cuban 8, which results in the jet arriving to the left.

Then the most spectacular part follows with the repositioning for strafing: we slightly climb, turn back with a rudder turn and then by moving from left to right we simulate a strafing pass, that is we act as we were firing our 20 mm gatling gun at something on the ground. We use pyrotechnics on the ground to imitate the hits of the bullets. After the strafing the so called pop-up bombing maneuver follows, which simulates the release of a bomb. We start at low altitude then we pull, identify the target, then rolling onto the target we drop the bomb by passing in front of the crowd from right to left. The bomb's hit is also simulated by some pyrotechnics.

This two ground attack maneuvers are really unique and well displays the original role and the precision strike capabilities of the Strike Eagle.

After the bombing run we make a special repo by doing some anti- AAA jinks. Then by moving from left to right we accelerate almost to 1 Mach then by a spectacular pull back we make a vertical climb with continuous rolling. This climb takes us to 12,000 feet very quickly. This maneuver is a well-known element from previous F-15 demos, it is very impressive and not al jets are able to do that. It demonstrates the vast power of the twin engines - this maneuver is best suited to the more powerful PW-229 engines.

We then make a spiraling descent then we fly beside and a bit behind the crowd, then we rush forward low and fast with afterburner and make a noisy and close salute to them. This is a very popular move dou to its closeness and the noise of the engines.

After the dedication pass we reposition then make a knife edge pass from right to left. Another repo follows, than a a high speed flat pass with a tactical pitch-up at its end. another pass follows then we reposition for landing.

From start of the narration to landing, the show is 15 minutes long. If we add the heritage flight to it, it is then around 20min long. The whole show is very dynamic and impressive, even without using smoke generators under the wings. The F-15E was quite rare on public airshows in the past and everybody always agrees that the Strike Eale's has three greatest strengths during demoing: its sheer size, serious color and terrible engine noise.

F-15E.info: Do you fly the same program on every base?

Capt. Al Kennedy: We don't have different flight plans for different bases. The profile is based upon weather conditions. The full up high show uses as high as the airspace goes, typically 15,000 feet and 5nm ring around the airfield. We do have two more versions of the show: the "low show" and the "flat show". For the low show we only need 2,500 feet to perform. The flat show is non aerobatic and we only need 1500 feet for that.

Roles in the Team

F-15E.info: What is the role of the WSO during a demo flight?

Capt. Al Kennedy: The Weapon Systems Officer is another set of eyes in the jet. He helps QC airspeeds, altitudes and helps with making the next maneuver the best it can be. He may not be the one flying the jet, but he is an integral part of flying the demonstration and to the safety of the team.

F-15E.info: What other roles exist in the team? Could you describe very briefly, who does what in the team?

Capt. Al Kennedy: The role of the pilot and the WSO have been covered above. Another roles are the following:

Maj. Tyrone "Duck" Howard and Capt. Christopher J. Schulz are our Safety Observers, they are both experienced pilots, Maj. Howard is an instructor pilot. The Safety Observer is the eyes and ears on the ground. He is the laison between the Air Show Boss, the Narrator and the Pilot and Weapon Systems Officer flying the jet. He makes sure the flight path of the jet is free and clear of towers, birds and other airplanes.

Capt. Shelly "Gringa" Mendieta and Capt. Jerry "Peso" Van Dyke are our narrators, they are both WSO's. The narrator does exactly what it sounds like, they are the voice of the demonstration. They let the public know what the next maneuver is and how it is going to be performed. The narrator is an integral part of the capabilities demonstration.

The head of the maintainer team is MSgt. Jeffrey E. Kedzierski, his assistant is TSgt. Mark L. Pindell. Our Crew Chiefs are SSgt. Jamie D. Farnell, SSgt. Jason E. Boland, SSgt. Paul M. Kielar, SrA Albert Morales. The Crew Chief are the lead mechanics on the jet. They work on all aspects of the jet without getting into the minutia. They change out major components, but don't get into the intricacies of the jet itself.

The specialists don't make the jet turn left or right, they make it easier for the jet to do so. They also help the jet communicate, navigate and see things using the radar. They maintain the electrical systems to seek, see, detect and destroy the enemy in the air and on the ground. We have two of them, SSgt. Ward is an avionics specialist, while SSgt. Lamon Keith is an engine specialist.

F-15E.info: How much do you depend upon the technical infrastructure and personnel of the base you are demoing at? Do you bring your own maintenance stuff (tools, spares, etc.) with you?

Capt. Al Kennedy: We bring 3 crew chiefs and 1 specialist. We have a minimal set of tools and a very small set of parts to fix the jet. We bring a primary and a spare jet to each show. The primary jet is flown to the show by the pair who will be flying the demo, the spare jet is flown to the show by the safety observers (who are also a fully qualified pilot- WSO duo). The jets that I fly are the best in the fleet, as far as I'm concerned. They fly above and beyond what the rest do in terms of maneuvers, aircraft limits and they don't break very often which is a tribute to the maintainers on the team. I rely on those maintainers at the airshow and at home station with my life every flight.

F-15E.info: And what if you or Capt. Stallworth gets ill? Will you then switch roles and will the safety observers fly the demo?

Capt. Al Kennedy: Good question. No, actually, if one of us becomes ill then we skip the demo. We need both of us in the cockpit to do the show. I cannot allow another pair to fly the show, that's the decision made by ACC.

A Powerful Show

F-15E.info: What engines are you using, the "old" 220 engines or the new 229 ones?

Capt. Al Kennedy: Seymour Johnson has Pratt and Whitney 220s. When we go to European shows we will use Lakenheath jets which have 229s in them.

F-15E.info: Is there any difference between them from the spectators' point of view?

Capt. Al Kennedy: PW-229's have more thrust and they do feel more powerful when sitting in the cockpit. However it is not obviously visible for the spectators, since we stick to our pre-defined maneuvers, thus keeping more or less the same speeds from show to show. Due to the 229's bigger thrust, we do not pull as much throttle and do not use the afterburner as many times as with PW-220's, hence the noise of the engines are somewhat smaller. We can turn somewhat more sharply with PW-229's so repositioning can be tighter plus we need less space to get the necessary energy to perform certain maneuvers, hence the show needs somewhat less airspace with the 229 engines.

F-15E.info: Do you have some ordnance or pods installed during demo flights?

Capt. Al Kennedy: We fly with Conformal Fuel Tanks and no pods or pylons. It's as clean as you can get and still be able to be put back into service within a few hours.

F-15E.info: How much fuel do you use during the show?

Capt. Al Kennedy: If it is a demo only, we burn 14,500 lbs of fuel. If we are doing a Demo with a heritage flight, we burn between 16,500 lbs and 18,000 lbs. Around 2,000 or 3,000 lbs of fuel usually remains in the tanks after landing. In the demo configuration, we are able to hold 23,300 lbs total.

F-15E.info: Since you are not using external fuel tanks, that means you are burning two thirds of your total fuel capacity just in 15 minutes. That's a lot of fuel. How much do you use the afterburner?

Capt. Al Kennedy: Well, a lot. I would say probably a grand total of one or two minutes maximum is the time, when the afterburner is NOT used. It is a quite powerful show. When we are doing the "low show", this time is under 1 minute.

F-15E.info: Well this explains the high fuel consumption. And the noise as well.

Capt. Al Kennedy: Yes. And when there is an overcast all the sound reverberates off of the clouds, which is much louder, you can even feel the rumble in your chest. It's very impressive.

F-15E.info: What is the minimum and maximum G-load you pull during the show? How tired are you when you land?

Capt. Al Kennedy: Typically I fly from the limits of the jet which are -2.0 to +9.0 G's. Obviously we are max performing the aircraft. Because of the intensive afterburner usage and the sharp turns, this is a very high-G intensive show and we get very muggy till the end, especially on hot days. So it is tiring but as with anything you get used to it, we had time for that during the last six months. Typically during an average 15 minute show we pull over 7,5 G twenty or twenty-five times, over 6 G twenty-five times. Most of the time we go from a 1 G level flight to over 7,5 G and then back again, so not only G loads are high, but their quick alternations are very stressing too.

F-15E.info: Do you make special exercises or every Strike Eagle pilot can do this?

Capt. Al Kennedy: Well, not every one. Everyone COULD do this of course if they wanted to, but a lot of people don't like to do that. But as far as the exercises go, I do normal workouts for the lower body, nothing special here. We need however a high hydration level during the show, which means we have to drink a lot of water on the weekends. If we don't drink enough water, our G tolerance decreases, so it becomes a lot harder to pull G's. Food is not an issue, we eat normally before the shows.

F-15E.info: How does it feel personally to be a demo pilot?

Capt. Al Kennedy: It has been one of the best adventures, opportunities that I have had the chance to do yet. It is a definite once in a lifetime opportunity. It is doubly an honor to be the first-ever Strike Eagle Demo Pilot and to be able to take an idea from a concept and make it into a reality. I couldn't think of anything else I'd rather be doing at this time.

F-15E.info: How is this position regarded in the community? Are you envied? Are you pitied? Are you respected? What else?

Capt. Al Kennedy: Well, I can't speculate on how the other feels, but I can tell you how the team feels. The officers and the maintainers are very very proud to be on the team and to see what we have accomplished so far. They are awed by the demo itself and everyone understands this is a great opportunity for the Strike Eagle community and the Air Force itself to showcase to the public what we do on a day to day basis.

F-15E.info: Thank you for the interview and I wish you and the team good luck in the future!

Capt. Al Kennedy: Thank you and on behalf of the team I would like to send our best wishes to the visitors of F-15E.info.

Forum Discussion

You can discuss this article in the Strike Eagle Forum with the latest posts appearing here below as well. Clicking on the 'Discuss' button takes you to the SEF, while clicking on the 'Quick Post' text enables you to make a post here right away.

Article discussions are available for registered users only!