Air force pilots working to master the F-16 fighter plane at Luke Air Force Base in the US have been performing well, often winning top prizes in bombing and shooting tests taken by all foreign F-16 trainees at the base, defense sources said yesterday.
The outstanding performances of Taiwan's pilots were attributed to the fact that they have already been trained well in Taiwan.
Luke Air Force Base provides the pilots with training in advanced flight skills, such as precision bombing and dogfighting.
Also taking part in the training program are pilots from countries such as Singapore, Turkey, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Taiwanese pilots have always outperformed those from other countries, says a senior F-16 pilot who trained at Luke years ago.
"Our pilots are constant win-ners in all kinds of tests, ranging from bombing to target shooting. It is hard to count the many medals our pilots have won in the tests," the pilot said.
"If we are not the best among the foreign trainees at Luke, we have never been the worst. We have never got a `turkey bone.' A turkey bone is for the worst performer in a test," he said.
Taiwan's pilots at Luke are serving in the 21st squadron, which is comprised of around ten F-16s belonging to the Taiwan Air Force.
The US Air Force recently posted on its official Web site a photo showing four F-16s from the 21st squadron practicing in-flight refueling operations.
The Taiwan Air Force keeps a tight lid on the training of its F-16 pilots at Luke, refusing to make any formal comment.
There is no official information available on when and how the training program at Luke began and on how many pilots have gone through the program.
The air force considers the information to be a "national secret."
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