Col. Robert McCutchen Jr., special assistant to the commander of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., reached his 5,000th flying hour in the F-16 late last month. Only two other Viper pilots have reached this milestone. “Being a pilot is not a profession that allows mediocrity. We must do it with passion and strive toward excellence,” said McCutchen, currently a Reserve individual mobilization augmentee who has served as an associate instructor at Luke for nearly a decade and a half. A graduate of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, McCutchen, began his flying career in 1982. Other than flying T-37s and T-38s during pilot training, McCutchen has flown the F-16 his entire career. “I am fortunate and blessed to have been able to fly the F-16 for 28 years,” he said. He reached the milestone on March 24. (Luke release by A1C David Owsianka)
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.
