The Air Force now has 24 pilots who can claim more than 4,000 hours in the F-16 fighter. According to a Sept. 19 release, Lt. Col. John Wynne surpassed that number on Sept. 12 during a training mission out of Luke AFB, Ariz. The colonel is an instructor pilot with Air Force Reserve Command’s 944th Fighter Wing at Luke. The Air Force Academy graduate said he was hooked on flying at the Colorado school and thanks good timing for keeping him in a Viper cockpit. “I love flying because there’s always a challenge to overcome, be it the weather, or new weapons or tactics that need to be mastered, or helping a student pilot wingman to grasp a new concept,” said Wynne. (944th FW report by SSgt. Stephen Razo)
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
