F-35 jets touch down at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WKBT) -- F-35 aircrafts from the air national guard touched down at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport today.

As part of the Air National Guard training regimen, members often conduct training exercises beyond their local standard area.

"One of which is called ACE or agile combat employment," said Zachary Griswold, Lieutenant Colonel.

Dozens of Air National Guard members and community members gathered at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport to witness the mission firsthand, requiring many different skill sets.

"For us we get very used to landing at the same airfield pretty much every time. So doing mission planning and studying for a new place, and then actually coming and landing here is fantastic training," said Griswold.

After each landing, the crew chiefs assist in receiving the jet, assessing the condition, gathering information from the pilot and ensuring that the jet is in stable condition for takeoff.

"Obviously in any training event, safety is going to be paramount in consideration. Every day that we do fly there is a training objective or a training event that is designed to make sure the pilots are getting the training they need," said David May, Deputy Adjutant for AIR.

He says that all flight operations come with risk but is confident in members to carry out their responsibilities on each meeting.

"I love flying jets, don't get me wrong I love the job, but the military and especially as I've found the Wisconsin Air National Guard attracts the absolute highest caliber of people," said Griswold.

​COPYRIGHT 2024 BY NEWS 8 NOW/NEWS 8000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.