Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, Royal Netherlands Air Force detachment commander, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., buckles the chin strap of his helmet at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. This is the last temporary duty that the RNLAF will make with the 162nd Wing before they return to the Netherlands. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, Royal Netherlands Air Force detachment commander, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., buckles the chin strap of his helmet at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. This is the last temporary duty that the RNLAF will make with the 162nd Wing before they return to the Netherlands. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Maintenance Group crew chief  performs the Emergency Power Unit continuity check prior to the aircraft taxiing.Master Sgt. Buck Griffiths, a 162nd Maintenance Group crew chief, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., signals to the pilot that the next marshaller is in command now that end-of-runway checks are complete. The EOR rollover check is the inspection completed just before flight as a final attempt to catch any unsafe aircraft conditions. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Farewell tour: Dutch finish overwater F-16 training over Florida coastPublished May 30, 2022
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. George Keck
                    
                    
                    162nd Wing Public Affairs
            **NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, Fla. (AFNS) --**U.S. Airmen and Royal Netherlands Air Force personnel from **Morris Air National Guard Base**, Arizona, traveled to Naval Air Station Key West wrapping up a two week-training event in May with the final Dutch B-Course student pilots.Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, RNLAF detachment commander, Morris Air National Guard Base, Arizona, adjusts his oxygen mask before closing the aircraft canopy. Luijsterburg will close the Netherland’s time in Tucson before assuming command of the Dutch F-35 detachment at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, RNLAF detachment commander, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., adjusts his oxygen mask before closing the aircraft canopy. Luijsterburg will close the Netherland’s time in Tucson, Ariz., before assuming command of the Dutch F-35 Lightning II detachment at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res

    










“Since we are only flying over land in Tucson, [Arizona] our altitude awareness is really good,” said Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, RNLAF detachment commander. “Every class goes to a location to fly over water and give them a different perspective.”

While flying over open waters, there are no ground references such as cars, buildings, and terrain to determine altitude. This training is crucial in preparing the students for their return home to the Netherlands where most flying occurs over the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

Two students found themselves a lot lower in altitude during the training than they had thought, Luijsterburg said.

The other goal for the student pilots was to see the hard work of deploying various personnel assets as a cohesive unit, Luijsterburg said. As an example, Luijsterburg said that the student pilots were surprised to learn that their maintenance crew had brought a spare aircraft engine, as a contingency.

The 162nd Logistics Readiness Squadron coordinated the TDY with the 161st Air Refueling Wing and with the 107th Airlift Wing to provide a **KC-135 Stratotanker** and a **C-17 Globemaster III**, respectively, for a seamless movement of personnel and equipment round trip to NAS Key West.

The 148th Fighter Squadron brought along six of their own **F-16 Fighting Falcons** from Morris ANGB to fly against **F-18 Super Hornets**.

“In Tucson, the students have not had an opportunity to fight against dissimilar aircraft,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Wittke, the 148th FS commander. “When we are fighting a different platform with different capabilities, it changes things up quite a bit. It is some of the best training you can do as a young lieutenant.”Crews from Morris Air National Guard Base and the 107th Airlift Wing work together to load a C-17 with tools and spare parts needed for the mission. The 162nd Logistics Readiness Squadron coordinated the round trip movement of all equipment and personnel to Naval Air Station Key West. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Angela Walz)Crews from Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., and the 107th Airlift Wing load a C-17 Globemaster III with tools and spare aircraft parts needed for the final Royal Netherlands Air Force Dutch B-Course student pilots. The 162nd Logistics Readiness Squadron coordinated the round-trip movement of all equipment and personnel to Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Angela Walz)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res
    
    Maintenance Group crew chief breaks down his aircraft prior to the arrival of the pilot.Staff Sgt. Brandyn Remsnyder, a 162nd Maintenance Group crew chief, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., breaks down his F-16 Falcon prior to the arrival of the Royal Netherlands Air Force Dutch B-Course pilots. Breaking down an aircraft consists of removing covers, cleaning and opening the canopy, placing the aircrew ladder, and completing a walk around inspection. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res
    
    Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, Royal Netherlands Air Force detachment commander, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., waits to taxi his aircraft at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. This is the last temporary duty that the RNLAF will make with the 162nd Wing before they return to the Netherlands. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, Royal Netherlands Air Force detachment commander, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., waits to taxi his aircraft at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. This is the last temporary duty that the RNLAF will make with the 162nd Wing before they return to the Netherlands. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res

The trip is also significant because this is the last Dutch F-16 B-course to graduate before closing out their contract and moving back to their home country.

“This is a big deal and a bittersweet thing,” Wittke said.

After a 32-year partnership, this is the last TDY that the RNLAF will participate in as part of the 148th FS before returning home to the Netherlands.

“I, myself, was a student in the 148th Fighter Squadron in 1991,” Luijsterburg said. “That was 31 years ago and now I am going to close this unit in a couple of months. It is the end of an era; I think you could say.”Maintenance Group crew chief  performs the Emergency Power Unit continuity check prior to the aircraft taxiing.Staff Sgt. Shane Semred, a 162nd Maintenance Group crew chief, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ariz., performs the Emergency Power Unit continuity check prior to the aircraft taxiing. The EPU provides electrical and hydraulic power should there be a failure of the engine, the main engine generator, or hydraulics. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. George Keck)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res

    









“I will be sad to see them leave,” Wittke said. “They have been one of our best partners. They are always in combat with us and that loyalty I find incredibly inspiring.”LR 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Air National Guard 



ANG 



joint 



Royal Netherlands Air Force 



training 



F-16 Falcon 



Florida 



Naval Air Station Key West 



Morris Air National Guard Base 



partnership Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil