--- title: "Everyone should be jealous of this Air Force pilot skateboarding down the flight line" description: "Air Force life is not always easy, but here's a pilot skating down the flight line like a college freshman after a chill frisbee session." date: "2021-12-15" modified: "2021-12-15" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-pilot-skateboard-flightline/" categories: - "Culture" - "Mandatory Fun" --- # Everyone should be jealous of this Air Force pilot skateboarding down the flight line ![]() *A video posted to Facebook on Monday shows an airman with the 23rd Fighter Wing skateboarding down the flight line at Joint Base Langley-Eustis (Screenshot via Facebook / Air Force amn/nco/snco)* Perhaps the best Air Force recruiting commercial in history was posted to social media on Monday, but the Air Force recruiting service had nothing to do with its creation. The 14-second long video shows a pair of pilots making their way down the flight line at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, flight-suited up and carrying their helmet bags. The thing is, one of them is not walking: he’s rolling on a skateboard while holding what looks to be a cell phone to his ear. The video, which was posted to the popular Facebook page[ Air Force amn/nco/snco](), seems to confirm how service members from other branches see the Air Force: That things are just generally *easier* and more mellow*.* The service has a reputation for having [better barracks](), [better food](), and overall better quality of life than other services. While that reputation is [not always true](), the stereotype is hard to ignore as you watch a pilot casually kick-pushing his way down the flight line like a college freshman on their way to Philosophy 101 after a chill frisbee session. Plus, there’s the cell phone. Though the[ Air Force]() and[ Navy]() allow cell phone use while walking in uniform, the[ Army](),[ Marine Corps]() and[ Coast Guard]() do not. If you’re curious, the Air Force also allows skateboards outside of roads used by cars, but [regulations]() say that airmen must wear helmets while doing so, which this pilot is not doing. Flight lines are not one of those areas where skateboarding is allowed, but commenters on Facebook seemed to appreciate it anyway. “I’m not even mad, that’s a flex,” wrote one. “On the outside I am furious,” wrote a second. “On the inside I am just a bit jealous.” “It’s called the ramp for a reason,” said a third. ![]() *Mike Kays, operator of the Hickam Skate Hangar, repairs a skateboard inside the pro shop Aug. 22, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. He has been working since the mid-1990s to make the skate park a safe place for people to hangout and learn the art of skateboarding. The park is the only indoor wooden facility on all the Hawaiian Islands. (Air Force photo / Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)* As fun as that image is, it’s not how America’s number-one airpower branch wants to present itself. “Members who operate on the flight line are charged with the safety and security of themselves, others, and equipment,” said Mike Reeves, chief of media operations for the 633rd Air Base Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. “The actions of the individual in the video are not conducive \[to a\] safe operating environment and are against JBLE’s local instructions.” That makes sense. Air Force flight operations are dangerous enough without the prospect of an expensive-to-train pilot eating dirt and breaking a leg because he botched a kickflip over the refueling hose. One commenter on Facebook put it even better: “Imagine he hits a rock and eats crap while shooting his board out into the taxiway and an intake does what it does best,” they wrote. Still, the skateboarding here is far from the first silly antic to take place on an Air Force flight line. In fact, it’s a tradition among aircraft maintainers to put on “[freestyle Fridays](),” where they might wear [funny outfits]() or put on a sketch as their aircraft taxis onto the runway. Last year, two such maintainers put on costumes from the Will Ferrell movie, “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and reenacted the scene where [Ricky Bobby thinks he’s on fire](). As for the kick-pushing pilot: His name was not immediately available, but Reeves said he belonged to the 23rd Fighter Group, which [flies A-10 attack planes]() out of Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Meanwhile, the F-15s seen in the background belong to the 144th Fighter Wing out of Fresno Air National Guard Base, California. Despite the Air Force’s stern response to the video, it’s hard to deny the bliss and “[IDGAF]()” vibes coming from that pilot. After all, who wouldn’t want to score massive air before projecting massive airpower? ## Read more on Task & Purpose - **The Air Force fired a commander who** [**separated an airman recovering from a suicide attempt**]() - [**Tulsi Gabbard posted a video in uniform accusing ‘self-serving’ politicians**]() **of wanting to start World War III** - **A Marine captain argues:** [**the Corps has a ‘participation award’ problem**]() - **This video captures the ‘oh sh-t’ moment of an** [**Army paratrooper’s reserve parachute opening at the last possible second**]() - **Here’s why military officers are** [**commanding fewer enlisted troops than ever before**]() **Want to write for Task & Purpose?** [**Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on** [**our homepage.**]() ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()