Make That 40

According to a report by the Deseret News, USAF maintainers deployed to Afghanistan from Hill AFB, Utah, were able to sustain an F-16 through not just 30 missions without a mechanical failure but through 40 so-called “code 1” sorties. The airmen deployed from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill reached an initial 30-mission record on March 23, followed by the 40-mission milestone through March 30, when, according to the Deseret News, aircraft #2119 landed with two discrepancies. The maintenance crew identified and fixed one problem—a bad fuel flow proportioner—over the next 24 hours, but the second problem was still a work in progress. Col. David Hathaway, 388th FW vice commander, told the newspaper, “The fact that we had one of our F-16s fly 40 code 1 sorties in the combat environment is a true testament to the teamwork and excellence of our maintainers and operators.”