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wood prints viper wood prints phoenix wood prints jet wood prints airplane wood prints f-16 wood prints luke wood prints afb wood prints arizona wood prints america wood prints air force wood prints color wood prints fighting falcon wood prints fac wood prints forward air controller wood prints tophats wood prints

photographs viper photos phoenix photos jet photos airplane photos f-16 photos luke photos afb photos arizona photos america photos air force photos color photos fighting falcon photos fac photos forward air controller photos tophats photos

This is a 310th Fighter Squadron Block 42 F-16CM getting ready to be armed for takeoff at Luke AFB, AZ. The 310th FS is the only squadron in the F-16 community that trains Forward Air Controller (Airborne), or FAC(A), pilots in the Air Force.

What are those you ask? A FAC(A) is responsible for getting bombs and bullets on target close to friendly troops. Due to the high chance that an errant bomb could kill friendly troops, these pilots are specifically trained in how to mitigate that risk while taking out the maximum number of enemy combatants.

The only other aircraft in the USAF inventory that performs this mission is the A-10C. Many of the strikes performed in Afghanistan and previously Iraq were done close to friendly troops, so having qualified pilots is a must.

For the shot, I traveled out to the arming area for over a week at night before I caught a rocket pod jet with a strobe flash on the tail. This one is armed with rockets and a GBU-12 laser g...

Welcome! I'm originally from the southeast corner of Pennsylvania (just above Amish country), but I've traveled a good bit of the planet. I currently reside in Tucson, Arizona. I've been taking photos since 2006 and have been refining my style ever since. I have a particular passion for landscape, architectural, and transportation themes, although I've been known to do abstracts from time to time. If you like what you see, please come back regularly as I upload new shots all the time. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll find something that interests you!