U.S.A.F. pilot Maj. Randall Haskin talks about Air Force flight training
and combat missions over the Middle East
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 SEATTLE, April 27, 2010--Burien, Wash.-native Maj. Randall Haskin is a former employee of The Museum of Flight who now flies F-15s and T-38s for the United States Air Force. On May 8 Haskin returns to the Museum to deliver a presentation about how he trains Air Force pilots and how his own training paid off during his combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. Haskin's program--"U.S.A.F. Pilot Training in Action"--is at 2 p.m. in the William M. Allen Theater, and is free with admission to the Museum.
Maj. Randall Haskin is a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He grew up in
Burien, Wash., and graduated from Highline High School in 1991. He learned to fly at Boeing Field and worked at The Museum of Flight as a Visitor Services assistant between 1990 and 1993. Haskin attended the University of Washington, graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Haskin earned his U.S.A.F. commission through Detachment 910 Air Force R.O.T.C. at the U.W. in August 1995. After serving as an aircraft maintenance officer at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., he attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., in 1998.
Haskin has served two tours as an F-15E fighter pilot in North Carolina and the United Kingdom, participating in several combat operations including Noble Eagle, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. He has approximately 1,400 hours in the F-15E, including over 100 combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. Following the September 11 attacks, he flew combat air patrols over Washington, D.C. and later flew interdiction and close air support missions in the "Shock and Awe" opening invasion of operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Recently he was deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, flying close air support missions in support of NATO and U.S. ground forces.
Haskin has also served two tours as a T-38C Instructor Pilot, including his current assignment with the 50th Flying Training Squadron at Vance Air Force Base, Okla. He has over 700 hours instructing in the T-38, teaching both new student pilots in the U.S.A.F.'s Undergraduate Pilot Training program and student fighter pilots in the Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals course.
Major Haskin's military awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Force Combat Action Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (with device), the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force.
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The non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest independent air and space museums in the world. The Museum's collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the William E. Boeing Red Barn® - the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Co. The J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing displays 28 World War I and World War II aircraft from the United States and other countries including Germany, Russia, and Japan. Over 30 aircraft representing the first century of aviation are displayed in the all-glass T.A. Wilson Great Gallery. The evolution of space flight and a look into the future are presented in the exhibit, Space: Exploring the New Frontier. The Airpark includes outdoor displays including the first jet Air Force One, a supersonic Concorde airliner and the prototype Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Interactive displays in The Flight Zone provide educational and entertaining activities for young children. The Museum's aeronautical library and archival holdings are the largest on the West Coast. More than 140,000 students are served annually by the Museum's on-site and outreach educational programs--the most extensive museum-based youth aviation and space education program in the country. The Museum is the only air and space museum in Washington State that is both nationally accredited with the American Association of Museums and a Smithsonian affiliate. The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for active military, $8 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org.
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SEATTLE, April 27, 2010