The threat of high winds associated with Hurricane Earl is forcing pilots on a fleet of 35 F-15 Strike Eagles and 3-KC-135 stratotankers to evacuate from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.

They are waiting out the storm at Eglin Air Force Base, only an hour and fifteen minute flight away.
Jets began arriving in groups of four around 10:30 Thursday morning and will be housed on the 33rd fighter wing flightline that was originially built for the incoming F-35 jets.

Lt. Greg Andreachi of Eglin's emergency management team says the base is happy to help.
"Right now we dont have the F-35 here so it was the perfect opportunity to put the F-15's under the sun shelters here and to host them while they escape Hurricane Earl."

Jim Gresis was one of the men who made the trip and says the base chose to come to Eglin because it was the closest base with enough space to house the jets.
"It's about $1.5 billion dollars worth of airplanes. One of our squadrons are deployed down range right now so made things a little easier. But it's a pretty intense operation and it has to happen pretty quickly."

At best, the squadron will be heading home Friday morning but that all depends on the path and destruction of the hurricane.