SAN ANGELO, TX — Goodfellow Air Force Base formally added a retired F-16 “Fighting Falcon” aircraft to its firefighter training program Monday, marking the expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and pilot rescue demonstration at the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy.
The aircraft will be used as a hands-on training tool for firefighters and service members across multiple branches, according to Tech. Sgt. Christian Mejia, a fire instructor at the academy.
“This F-16 is very detrimental to our training here,” Mejia said. “We want to invoke the realism of our training, hands-on for the firefighters and also the service members that conduct training here to provide rescue operations, set up safety aspects, things that they can encounter in real-world environments.”
The retired aircraft, acquired from Sheppard Air Force Base, will not be used with live fire, Mejia said, to preserve its structural integrity and allow repeated use in training scenarios.
“No flames on this aircraft,” Mejia said. “We want to be able to continuously use this aircraft, so when we start bringing in flames, that degrades the structural integrity of that aircraft.”
Instead, the F-16 will be used for pilot rescue operations, extrication scenarios and emergency shutdown procedures, including securing the aircraft and addressing potential armament concerns.
“We will conduct pilot rescue operations, extrication. In the instance the pilot cannot come out on their own, we want to be able to gain access to them," Mejia said.
Mejia said the aircraft will primarily be used for familiarization within the ARF block and more extensively in leadership-focused curriculum, including officer-level training.
He said the aircraft will be used in leadership and officer training roles, adding, “Not every installation has this type of aircraft.”
The F-16 will also be incorporated into readiness training ahead of deployments, exposing younger airmen to aircraft they may not otherwise encounter.
Mejia said acquiring the aircraft intact elevates the realism of training and eliminates the need to rely solely on simulations.
“When we simulate things or just talk about procedures, we tend to miss things,” Mejia said. “We lose the ability to troubleshoot in critical times where problem-solving is going to be time is of the essence.”
During Monday’s demonstration, approximately 15 personnel conducted a simulated rescue operation to showcase the training capabilities to attendees and media.
“We’re essentially showcasing the training to the populace that is going to be able to attend and to you guys as well,” Mejia said.
Mejia said the aircraft is not intended as a static display but as an active training asset.
“It’s not a monument that you see on the road coming in,” he said. “These are actually tools and resources that we’re going to use and incorporate in our curriculum.”
You can watch the ribbon-cutting and training exercise below:
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