Eighteen Delaware Air National Guardsmen from the 142nd Airlift Squadron of the 166th Airlift Wing have reached an incredible milestone—one rarely attained by active duty aircrews—more than 5,000 hours of flying time in the C-130H. “These crews are among the most experienced in the world,” Col. Daniel Van Wyk told the Wilmington News Journal. Delaware ANG personnel have been involved in more than 8,000 missions across the Southwest Asia theater in the past three years. MSgt. Gerald Luce told the Journal that when he joined in 1982, ANG fliers were treated like “some sort of private flying club.” He added, now “they call us first when something needs to be done.”
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.