62d Fighter Squadron The 62d Fighter Squadron ( 62 FS ) is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base , Arizona . It operates the F - 16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training . Mission . The 62d Fighter Squadron ( " Spikes " , Tailband : White & Blue ) , operate Block 25 F - 16Cs and F - 16Ds conducting F - 16 crew training for active duty USAF pilots . History . World War II . The 62d Fighter Squadron was constituted as the 62d Pursuit Squadron as part of the 56th Pursuit Group at Savannah , Georgia , on 15 January 1941 . The squadron immediately began training for its wartime missions under III Fighter Command , rapidly transitioning through the P - 35 , P - 36 , P - 39 , and P - 40 aircraft . On 7 December 1941 , the 62d stepped up to defend the Northeastern United States from anticipated enemy air attack while it converted to the P - 47 aircraft and prepared to deploy overseas , operating under the I Fighter Command , New York Fighter Wing in the early months of 1942 . It was re - designated 62d Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942 , and deployed to RAF Kings Cliffe ( AAF - 367 ) , England on 9 January 1943 . It was declared operationally ready two months later and flew its first combat missions 13 April . The squadron was given fuselage code " LM " and operated from several RAF stations during the war , flying the P - 47C Thunderbolt as an VIII Fighter Command bomber - escort unit initially for B - 17 Flying Fortress es and beginning in 1944 for B - 24 Liberator s attacking enemy targets in Occupied Europe . After the end of the war in Europe , the squadron demobilized in England , and was inactivated as an administrative unit on 18 October 1945 . given Strategic Fighter Escort Squadron . The squadron was reactivated on 1 May 1946 as a Strategic Air Command escort fighter group , being assigned to Fifteenth Air Force at Selfridge Army Air Base , Michigan , equipped with long - range P - 51H Mustang s , originally developed for Twentieth Air Force bomber escort missions in the Pacific Theater . The mission of the squadron was to provide fighter escort of SAC ' s B - 29 Superfortress bombers on intercontinental strategic bombardment missions , deploying to Alaska and Europe in this role . In 1947 , the squadron was upgraded to Lockheed P - 80C Shooting Star s , as SAC introduced the B - 50 in the late 1940s . The squadron trained to maintain proficiency as a mobile strike force ; including bomber escort mission until transferred from Strategic Air Command to Continental Air Command on 1 Dec 1948 . Air Defense Command . The squadron began performing air defense missions in 1950 with its relocation to O ' Hare Air Reserve Station , near Chicago in 1950 , being re - designated as the 62d Fighter - Interceptor Squadron on 20 Jan 1950 , and re - equipped with the F - 86D Sabre . It was assigned to Air Defense Command 4706th Defense Wing in February 1952 . In 1955 , the 56th was reactivated under ADC as an Air Defense Group with the 62d FIS being a tactical interceptor squadron . In 1959 with interceptors being moved from O ' Hare the squadron was moved to K . I . Sawyer AFB , Michigan , and the 62d was re - equipped with the Mach 2 + McDonnell F - 101B Voodoo twin - seat interceptor . The F - 101B proved to be a quite successful interceptor . assigned alongside the F - 101B interceptor was the F - 101F operational and conversion trainer . The two - seat trainer version was equipped with dual controls , but carried the same armament as the F - 101B and were fully combat - capable . The squadron maintained alert against the ever - present Soviet bomber threat . A highlight from this era was the squadron capturing top F - 101 squadron honors at the William Tell 1965 , USAF Worldwide Weapons Meet . The squadron maintained the air defense alert until 30 Apr 1971 when it was inactivated , the aircraft being passed along to the Air National Guard . The 62d FIS was the last active - duty squadron equipped with the F - 101B . The squadron was replaced by the 87th FIS flying F - 106A " Delta Darts " Tactical Air Command . On 1 September 1974 , the 62d was re - activated at Tyndall Air Force Base , Florida , as a fighter - training unit . The squadron assumed the mission of training F - 4E Phantom II and F - 106 Delta Dart weapons instructors at the United States Air Force interceptor Weapons School . The following October , the flag moved again ; this time to rejoin the 56th Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill Air Force Base , Florida , and began training F - 4 crews for tactical units around the world . 62d TFS aircraft carried a blue fin cap , tail coded " MC " . In April 1978 , the squadron changed equipment to the F - 4D , with the " E " models being transferred to operational squadrons . The last F - 4D flight occurred on 14 November 1980 , and conversion began to the F - 16A / B began that month . On 1 January 1981 , the squadron transitioned to the F - 16 Fighting Falcon " and the squadron was re - designated as the 62d Tactical Fighter Training Squadron . Beginning in June 1989 the unit converted over to the block 30 model of the F - 16C / D . On 1 November 1991 the squadron was once again re - designated back to what it was in WWII as the 62nd Fighter Squadron with the adoption of the objective organization plan by the Wing . Modern era . With the end of the Cold War in the early 90 ' s it was announced that MacDill AFB would be closed . The squadrons of the 56th FW would be inactivated starting with the 72d Fighter Squadron and worked its way sequentially down to the 61st Fighter Squadron . Therefore the 62d Fighter Squadron was second to last to disband . The squadron , however , continued to train fighter pilots until its inactivation on 12 May 1993 to prepare for the move to Luke AFB , Arizona were it would continue as an F - 16 training squadron . Modern era . Once the move was made to Luke AFB , the squadron was able to reactivate on 18 March 1994 . By that time the 58th FW at Luke had been re - designated as the 56th FW so the squadron always remained part of that wing . Although the squadron moved , the Block 30 aircraft at MacDill AFB did not move with the squadron . Instead the 62nd Fighter Squadron converted to the block 25 F - 16 at Luke . Pilot training for students assigned to the 62d FS is a standard syllabus , one that gets students their first look at the F - 16 and prepare them for service with active duty units . The squadron ' s mission is to " Graduate flight pilots who meet or exceed syllabus standards and their gaining units ' expectations . Teach the B - course students what it means to be a fighter pilot . Actively promote quality of life and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth . "