Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach and Senior Airman Christopher Hinds, 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, perform preflight procedures for an F-22 Raptor at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 15, 2026. (Lauren Clevenger/U.S. Air Force)
Top Air Force generals flew training sorties from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada this month, a demonstration of what the service said was the leaders’ ability to fly the aircraft they command.
The generals were at the base near Las Vegas for the annual Weapons and Tactics Conference and Command and Control Summit.
The pilots with stars on their lapels included Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach; Gen. Adrian Spain, commander of Air Combat Command; Brig. Gen. David C. Epperson, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center commander; and Brig. Gen. Lawrence T. Sullivan, 57th Wing commander.
“Flying allows senior leaders to stay connected to our warfighting mission,” Wilsbach said in a statement. “Every time I step to the jet, I’m immersed in daily operations and discover new obstacles airmen face that I can help remove. I only gain that insight by being present on the flight line.”
The aircraft flown by the generals included F-22 Raptors, F-35A Lightning IIs, F-16 Fighting Falcons and an HC-130J Combat King II.
The flights took off from Nellis AFB, home of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and also flew over the 2.9-million-acre Nevada Test and Training Range. The base recorded 10,519 sorties in 2025, according to the Air Force.
“Nellis is where we forge the future of airpower,” Epperson, the warfare center commander, said in a statement.
Senior Airman Christopher Hinds, a 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, said in a statement released by the Air Force that he was impressed with the senior officers getting in the cockpit.
“Knowing how busy they are, it meant a lot to me to witness the chief of staff hone proficiency and warfighter skills,” Hinds said.
Brig. Gen. Lawrence Sullivan, 57th Wing commander, pilots an F-16 Fighting Falcon near Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 9, 2026. (Courtesy photo by Camden Thrasher Images)
