Lt. Col. Scott Purdie, an F-15E pilot with the 334th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., eclipsed 3,000 hours in the cockpit of the Strike Eagle on Jan. 18. He is only the 20th F-15E pilot to reach this mark. “I feel so blessed to be able to have done what I have absolutely loved to do for so long,” the 48-year-old pilot said when reflecting on the achievement. Purdie has also spent extensive time in the cockpits of other aircraft, including the A-10 in which he has logged more than 2,400 hours. He said he intends to keep flying and be a mentor to younger pilots. “If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to break 6,000 hours of total fighter time before I retire,” he said. Purdie is not alone this month among USAF pilots in achieving milestones. Four days prior to his historic flight, Lt. Col. Dan Swayne surpassed 4,000 hours flying F-16s. (Includes Seymour Johnson report by SrA. Shane Dunaway)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
