4th Fighter Wing jets part of inaugural ceremonies
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on January 19, 2005 2:17 PM
Four jets from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base will perform a fly-by today at the presidential inauguration events.
President Bush will take the oath of office Thursday but the fly-by will be held today because the airspace will be restricted during the ceremony. The 4th Fighter Wing will be the unit representing the Air Force in the fly-by. Four jets will fly the Missing Man Formation.
Lt. Col. Scott Kindsvater and his weapons systems officer, Capt. Marcus Prince, return from a practice run to Washington, D.C., for today's fly-by.
The unit conducted a practice run Tuesday morning. It took them 40 minutes to reach Washington. They flew over the District of Columbia for about 20 minutes, then returned.
The jets landed at Seymour Johnson at 12:40 p.m. Capt. Marcus Prince, a weapons systems officer in the 336th squadron, said he is happy to have a chance to be part of the inauguration.
"I'm very proud, being a part of it," Prince said.
The Fourth Wing consists of 96 F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets in four fighter squadrons. Two of the squadrons, the 333rd and the 334th, are training squadrons. The other two, the 335th and the 336th, are operational. They rotate deployments with each other and with other squadrons from other bases. The 335th is currently overseas.
Today's inuaugural events include a Celebration of Freedom at 4 p.m. on the Ellipse and a number of dinners and parties.