Col. Patrick McKenzie, 
commander of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan AB, South Korea, reached his 3,000th flight hour in the F-16, joining a group of some 200 pilots worldwide who have accumulated this many hours in the Viper cockpit, according to a base release. “I feel very lucky to have been able to reach this feat,” said McKenzie, who reached the milestone during a March 28 sortie, states the release. “While I get to personally reach the milestone, it is not something that I accomplished myself. Many others to include maintainers, support personnel, and fellow fighter pilots have all made this milestone attainable,” he added. McKenzie has been an F-16 pilot for more than 22 years, according to the release. “This is a rare accomplishment for any fighter pilot; I have been blessed to fly the F-16 long enough to reach the mark,” he said. (Osan report by SSgt. Sara Csurilla)
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
