KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE BASE, Thailand -- The Thunderbolts of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 and four of their pilots took part in a training exercise as a precursor to Operation Cope Tiger, Feb. 13 here.
The T-Bolts and Airmen from Elmandorf Air Force Base, Alaska took the opportunity to participate in a small dogfight as a tune up for the exercise, and the only time the T-bolt pilots would have a chance to go up against the F-15B Eagle. The rest of their time in Thailand will be spent training with the Royal Thai Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
The Marines went into the training evolution with the feeling they had a slight upper hand over the Air Force aviators.
"We have smaller aircraft, which makes us more agile," said Capt. John Tebbetts, VMFA-251 pilot. "We might have less experienced pilots, but we shouldn't have too much of a problem."
The four pilots who participated in the exercise were captains, Michael Brennan, John Tebbetts, Brett Batick and Dan Berzack. The T-Bolt aviators were chosen on the fact they did not have much experience against F-15B's in their career.
"We were given the opportunity to fly against the Air Force because we are the younger pilots," said Capt. Brett Batick, VMFA-251 flight officer,. "We were the last four to check in and had almost no experience against the Eagle."
The Air Force pilots were also a little "green" when it came to fighting against the Hornets. Most of the pilots had seen Hornets in the past, but it had been a couple of years.
"This is only my second time flying with F-18's," said Maj. Ron "Sweep" Calvert, 90th Fighter Squadron pilot, Elmandorf Air Force Base, Alaska. "The Hornet is a nice aircraft. It's smaller and a lot more maneuverable."
Both groups of pilots agreed there were a few differences in the way their services operate in regards to flying.
"A big difference is the language," Calvert said. "It was difficult to understand what the Marines were talking about because we have different terminology for the same maneuvers."
The Hornet pilots were grateful for the opportunity to fly against the Eagle, as opposed to their own breed of aircraft.
"It's fun to get out against a different type of aircraft," said Capt. Brett "Carl" Batick, VMFA-251 flight officer. "We did fairly well and it was good training."