Goldsboro, North Carolina, is a small town with a big Air Force base. Just east of downtown, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is home to the nearly 100 F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets of the 4th Fighter Wing as well as the 916th Air Refueling Wing, flying KC-135R Stratotankers, called “the gas stations in the sky.” The base is gearing up for the delivery of the new KC-46 Pegasus refueling craft, soon to replace the Stratotankers.
“We’re training for the Fight of the Future here,” SSgt Michael Charles, the base’s Public Affairs Specialist, said. “This base has a unique mission.”
The 4th Fighter Wing proudly bears the motto “Fourth But First” referring to its origins as the RAF Eagle Squadrons, piloted by Americans who helped defend Britain from the Luftwaffe before the United States entered WWII. The units were transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corp in 1942.
Every other year, Seymour Johnson hosts a free airshow, Wings Over Wayne, that brings more than 200,000 people to the base, where they watch the Air Force’s top demonstration teams show off their flying skills. The base hosts its airshows on odd numbered years, while Cherry Point Marine Naval Base, also in Eastern North Carolina, hosts its airshow on even numbered years. The next Wings Over Wayne is scheduled for April 27-28, 2019. Admission and parking are both free.
This year’s headliners are the Air Force’s Thunderbirds Air Force Aerial Demonstration Squadron; plus, Maj. Benjamin Hoffman, director of the Wings over Wayne Air and Space Expo, says there will be several new additions this year. “In the air, you’ll see the exciting new F-35A Lightning Demo Team in their first airshow season, as well as the famed C-17 Demo,” he explained. “For those who love heritage aircraft, Randy Ball will be flying his brilliant Mig-17 performance.”
Display of Spitfire fighter aircraft outside the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. [Photo by Renee Wright]
Other in-air performances include demos of the A-10 Thunderbolt, B-2 Spirit, the B-52, the Acemaker T-33 and the Black Daggers, the Army’s Special Operations Command Parachute Demonstration Team. Another returning popular favorite is the living history performance of Tora! Tora! Tora!, the Commemorative Air Force's recreation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In the USAF Combined Arms Demonstration, ground and air forces join for a simulated attack.
“On the ground, we’ll be showcasing our airmen with interactive displays that demonstrate the many different specialties on Seymour Johnson AFB. There will be displays of aircraft munitions, an F-15E jet engine, our security forces equipment, our explosive ordnance disposal tools, and our aircraft flight gear worn by pilots,” Maj. Hoffman continued. “We’ll even have a boom-simulator for the new KC-46 tanker.”
Other airshow attractions include a tarmac display of aircraft flown in for the show, a Kid Zone play area, and a jet-powered truck. Several aerobatic teams flying famous aircraft of the past will also perform.
But if a visit to Seymour Johnson doesn’t fit into your Spring plans, you can still visit the base… and meet some of the dedicated men and women who serve there. Free tours are offered the last Thursday of every month, except for November and December, which takes visitors on a narrated bus tour of the base with a special peek inside the cockpit of an F-15E Strike Eagle.
Public Affairs Specialist SSgt Charles says that each tour is unique. “Unlike most tours which take individuals to set areas, each SJAFB tour is specifically coordinated with the audience in mind,” he said. “That means no two tours are quite the same. We aim to give an authentic behind the scenes experience of what the Airmen assigned to SJAFB do to accomplish the nation’s national security objectives. We host anywhere from 7,000 to 12,000 people on base tours every year depending on mission requirements.”
Stops on the tours may include the K-135 support building where equipment to meet many types of emergency situation is kept ready for use at a moment’s notice, including flotation systems, oxygen masks, medical supplies, survival kits for every environment, even special kits for responding to nuclear or chemical attacks. Other base landmarks include the air control tower and the building dedicated to Combat Arms training, as well as numerous famous planes displayed along Wright Brothers Avenue, the base’s “main drag.”
History buffs enjoy a stop at the Seymour Johnson AFB Support Center, where a P-51 Mustang, the wing’s favorite - and most deadly - plane from World War II, hangs overhead in the lobby. The Strike Eagles are credited with 1,016 Luftwaffe kills, more than any other fighter unit in WWII or any other war. Exhibits in the lobby include historic photos, paintings and displays detailing the 4th Fighter Wing’s contributions in wars from Korea to the current Middle East conflicts, including 55 kills in MIG Alley during the Korean conflict. The many awards received by the Seymour Johnson and its personnel are readily viewable, including a nod as “Best Air Force Base in the World.”
Everyone’s favorite part of the tour, according to SSgt Charles, is the F-15E Strike Eagle tour. Visitors step inside a hangar where Airmen explain the various parts of the aircraft, then climb a ladder for a peek into the cockpit. Outside, F-15s taxi pass on the way to the flight line, with some pilots greeting the tour group with a wave.
“There is nothing quite like seeing F-15s taxiing less than 20 feet from you and watching those same jets catapult into the sky,” SSgt Charles said passionately. “It’s something to behold, especially up close.”
And something to hear as well. With the largest collection of F-15s in the world running practice flights morning and afternoon, jet noise is pretty constant - and something Goldsboro residents revel in. The town’s unofficial motto is “WE [heart] JET NOISE!”
Seats on the monthly tours should be reserved well in advance and can be made by emailing aherring@goldsboronc.gov or by calling 919-734-7922. Goldboro offers a number of other attractions including a BBQ Trail, ghost tour, and vibrant downtown streets lined with breweries and boutiques. The Visit Goldsboro website has details and maps.
Destinations, Events, Fun, History, North Carolina, Open Road