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Pilot trades F-15 for Marine fighter

When Air Force Capt. Ryan Corrigan learned he had been accepted into a two-year program to fly with the Marines, his superiors told him to show up with an open mind.

The Marines, they said, have a different way of doing things.

After only three weeks and a dozen or so missions in F-5 Tigers with Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401, Corrigan is impressed.

Marine pilots are typically given a short “what-not-to-do” list before flights, said Corrigan, who had to move from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for the program at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.

The short list gives Marine pilots more flexibility than the long “to-do” list that Air Force pilots get, Corrigan said

Corrigan went up against four other Air Force pilots for the chance to fly with the Snipers, said Marine Lt. Col. Michael Legens, the squadron’s executive officer.

Corrigan’s experience flying F-15 Eagles has been mostly air-to-air engagements. Flying with the Snipers will expose him to close-air support missions Marine aviators typically fly, Legens said.

The F-5 flies much like the F-15, said Corrigan. The F-15 has more thrust, but the F-5 has better lateral control in lower-speed maneuvers. The F-5 is also much smaller than the F-15, making it harder to see from the ground while flying.

Corrigan is completing his F-5 qualification course and is slated to fly in support of the next Weapons and Tactics Instructor course and other missions the Snipers fly.

“I think it’s cool that I can be an effective training aid to the different units we fly with,” said Corrigan. “It gives me a different perspective and the ability to see what units need for training. That way, when pilots take their Hornets and Harriers to war, they will be better prepared.”