Two months have passed because the F-16I Division was grounded following the crash last July, and now they have got returned to flying. As portion of a steady process, last week, F-16I squadrons held their first training sessions on the Ramon airbase because the grounding. “It’s like an athlete who must come again into shape”
After two months of being grounded, the F-16I planes are back within the air: the primary work out because the abandonment of a plane by two aerial team members last July was held within the F-16I squadrons on the Ramon airbase. “Its return to flight is a posh process, like an athlete who should come again in shape”, says Major Dor, Deputy Commander of the “One” squadron on the Ramon airbase. “So, we held refresher-tutorials and updated our training program to come to operational readiness”.
The training opened with an exercise of the fundamentals, wherein the teams practice air-to-air combat. Afterwards, they work on complex scenarios, using smart munitions or even practice aerial refueling. “The return to flying is completed in steps”, explains Major Roy, Deputy Commander of the “Bat” squadron on the Ramon airbase. “Flight proficiency is refreshed from one exercise session to a different, in addition to dealing with stress of missions within the air. It is very important get the warriors, both regular and reserve, within the aerial teams back to those issues gradually”.
The return to the routine wasn’t just felt within the air: the Technical Division of the F-16I squadrons is rushing, in a brief amount of time and with great professionalism, to organize the planes for the flights, after two months of vacation. “On the 1st day of the flights, lightening may be seen within the eyes of the technicians”, adds Major Lior, a commissioned technical officer within the squadron. “The soldiers desired to come back to the job, complete their mission, and do it with satisfaction and pride”.
Last July, an F-16 plane crashed within the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, while the aerial team members parachuted and were rescued to safety. Following the accident, the Commander of the IAF ordered a grounding of the F-16I Division and an investigation into the circumstances of the accident. Apparently, a technical malfunction within the engines of the planes is what resulted in the plane crash.
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