TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE — The weather on the ground was nasty, so 45,000 feet in the sky was the place to be, Lt. Col. Erick Gilbert said Monday after landing the 95th Fighter Squadron’s flagship F-22 Raptor at its new station.
“It was beautiful,” Gilbert said. “I tell you what; we were very lucky today. The weather opened up for us. We had some great tailwinds. I actually had to slow down a little bit to make the 1500 (3 p.m.) landing, but it was great.”
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Gilbert arrived on time after flying about 2½ hours after he took off from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., with four other Raptors. They were greeted at Tyndall by a throng of airmen and guests.
“I wouldn’t say jetlagged,” he said with a smile. “I’d say a little nervous, a little sore, but, no, it’s good.”
Gilbert and the rest of the 95th Fighter Squadron will begin to prepare for potential combat, an expansion of Tyndall’s existing role as a base for training with the sophisticated planes. Gilbert said he believed the new mission would reinvigorate Tyndall, and that’s “awesome,” he said with a smile.
He moved to Bay County with his family more than a year ago; they didn’t have a hard time adjusting.
“The beaches are wonderful here. There’s no adjustment required,” he said. “This is great — a little cold today — but other than that this is great.”
A few months after Gilbert’s arrival, the transfer of planes and many of the airmen he commands were delayed by nearly a year. Now that the F-22s are beginning to arrive, Gilbert and the 95th can begin to get down to business.
“The main goal is to get our squadron ready for the combat mission,” Gilbert said. “It’s a new challenge for us. We’ve kind of been given a short timeline to get the aircraft here, the people here, get the aircraft ready and then be ready to deploy. We’re not sure where that may be, but wherever our national military objectives and our civilian leadership wants to send us, we’re going to get ready for that as soon as possible.”
Gilbert flew F-15s for about eight years before switching to F-22s about six years ago, he said. He was not without nostalgia for the cockpit of the “Eagle,” but he said the difference between the aircraft is profound; the Raptor is “much better.”
“Unfortunately our enemies are getting stronger. They’re spending a lot more money on technology, both the surface-to-air missiles as well as their airplanes, also, so the Raptor gives us a cutting-edge advantage,” Gilbert said. “It gives us the ability to work inside of enemy territory … without any concern for our own ability to take care of business. It gives us an advantage.”
Gilbert echoed his boss’s sentiment about Bay County’s support for military.
“It’s great to see the local support,” Gilbert said. “Col. Graff mentioned it earlier, but to be honest, the local community does great for us and really takes care of us.”