Wilds Lodge School visits RAF Lakenheath Published June 29, 2017 By Airman 1st Class Eli Chevalier 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- Students and faculty from the Wilds Lodge School, a specialist school for boys with emotional, social and behavioral difficulties, visited the 48th Fighter Wing June 28. The field trip presented a chance for the boys to view an F-15E Strike Eagle up close and ask questions about military life and Strike Eagle capabilities to a pilot, weapons systems officer and maintenance Airman. “They’ve been really interested in the whole atmosphere, even the searching of the vehicles,” said Darren Rawnsley, a teacher at Wilds Lodge School. “They’ve mixed with people they’ve never met before. Whenever we go on trips they gain self-confidence and self-esteem because they actually feel that somebody is listening to them and they are doing something important.” The students used their chance to ask questions to the fullest. They tested the knowledge of the Airmen extensively, wondering how much an F-15 weighs empty and full, how fast it goes and, of course, what kinds of weapons it can carry. “It was nice to interact with the local youth to show them what we do,” said a 492nd Fighter Squadron pilot. “It put a human face to what we are doing and got them excited about us being here.” Armed with more self-confidence and knowledge of the Liberty Wing, the students will move onto the next grade this fall.