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  • 39th Rescue Squadron welcomes new commander

    The 39th Rescue Squadron’s Change of Command Ceremony for Lt. Col. David Underwood took place inside the Fuel Cell hangar here, March 4. “Dave has a keen eye for innovation, organizational improvement, and organizational proficiency through process improvement. He is the right officer at the

  • 39th RQS performs open water rescue training

    Lt. Col. Chris Ferrara, 39th Rescue Squadron pilot, scans the ocean as he maneuvers an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft during open water rescue training near the Florida coast Jan. 8, 2023. The 39th RQS operates the HC-130J, the U.S. Air Force's only dedicated fixed-wing personnel recovery platform.

  • A New Era Takes Flight

    A rainy June 2, 2020, was a historic day for the 39th Rescue Squadron as aircrew members flew the first fully operational HC-130J Combat King II training mission.  This first operational flight marks an important milestone for the 39th RQS because the HC-130J replaced the HC-130 P/N as the only Air

  • HC-130 Pilot Follows Parents Legacy

    Air Force Reserve pilot 1st. Lt. Nash Blackwelder grew up hearing his father talk about how great it was to fly onboard Air Force C-130 aircraft.“Growing up hearing those stories, I knew I wanted to do the same,” said Blackwelder.His ties to the airframe go back a generation when both of his parents

  • A hero's welcome, 50+ years after Vietnam

    Six Air Force Reserve aviators sailed over the nation’s capital in a military propeller-driven aircraft as gray as the slightly overcast sky surrounding them, and nearly as wide as the eight-lane beltway below them. They flew with intensity for what was about to unfold, May 29, 2019.Due to the

  • Rescue aircrews undergo water survival refresher

    Aircrews with the 39th and 301st Rescue Squadrons spent a portion of the March unit training assembly weekend practicing their open water survival techniques March 4, 2018 along the Banana River, near Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. Aircrew flight equipment specialists with the 920th Operations