A-10 Launch
Senior Airman Andrea Sumner checks the nose-landing-gear assembly of a 442nd Fighter Wing A-10 Thunderbolt II at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., Dec. 6, 2008, while A-10 pilot, Maj. Les Bradfield, conducts a pre-flight checklist prior to the plane's launch on a training flight. The 442nd is an Air Force Reserve Command unit, which operates, maintains and supports A-10 combat operations worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Tom Talbert)