More than 180 airmen from Air Force Reserve Command’s 507th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla., along with four of the unit’s KC-135 tankers, are taking part this month in the Rim of the Pacific exercise in and around Hawaii. US Pacific Command sponsors RIMPAC, a biennial, multinational, joint maritime event. The main contingent of Tinker Reservists will depart for Hickam AFB, Hawaii, on July 5. Additional airmen from the unit will arrive in mid-July to relieve others. “During previous [RIMPAC] exercises, we found our aircraft heavily engaged and flying three to four missions daily, refueling a variety of aircraft,” said Lt. Col. Gerald Malloy of the wing. This year, wing officials expect to surpass those totals. RIMPAC 2010 also marks the first-ever participation of Air Force C-17s in this exercise. (Tinker report by Lt. Col. Richard Curry)
The Air Force is seeking funding to let its pilots fly a little more than 1.1 million hours in fiscal 2027, which would be the most in about four years. But even if Airmen actually do fly all 1.1 million hours, it would still be short of the 1.3 million…