It was ear plugs in and cameras out on Friday, September 27th, as members of the MBCA Portland Section and their guests were escorted out onto the Portland International Airport tarmac to view a duo of F-15s take off on their latest training mission. The special tour of the 142nd Fighter Wing base featured an up close and hands-on viewing of the F-15 and it’s armaments.

Two F-15 fighter planes are on the alert 24/7 in Portland to provide security for the West Coast,

and able to reach Seattle in less than 20 minutes. They can fly 1000 miles without refueling

and carry more bullets than any other fighter in the U.S. inventory.

A pilot briefed all on the F-15 mission along with details of pilot technology, warheads, take

offs, and emergency landings. Also included in the comprehensive tour were briefings by 142nd

Wing Security Forces personnel with displays of machine guns, offensive entry systems and

devices, along with a Humvee.

The tour ended in the aircraft maintenance hanger where all of us could see stand- alone

engines, training missiles, and actual bullets.

We observed as the avionics, hydraulics, and electrical subsystems were inspected. Each attendee was encouraged to climb stairs for a viewing of an F-15 cockpit (no pictures there).

Kudos to Master Sergeant Steve Conklin, Superintendent of the 142nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office, and his staff for an outstanding job organizing and completing the background checks,

speakers, and displays. All maintenance and security personnel were informative and willing to

answer all questions from the group, plus they were eager to explain their current mission and

share details from their past deployments overseas.

The day ended with lunch at Famous Dave’s BBQ, trading pictures and sharing stories from the

impressive display of the nation’s first line of defense.