Whirling Four Grand

Aerial gunner SMSgt. Robert Dinsmore notched up 4,000 flight hours on a training sortie at Kirtland AFB, N.M., becoming the 58th Special Operations Wing’s first enlisted crewman to attain the mark in helicopters alone. “Not many rotary-wing guys cross that mark,” said Dinsmore, who reached the milestone in an HH-60G Pave Hawk on Aug. 17. He noted that only 10 of the wing’s 135 enlisted aircrew members can claim 4,000 hours aloft. Dismore racked up 2,500 hours in the MH-53 Pave Low before transitioning to the HH-60, accumulating another 1,500 hours on that platform, according to an Aug. 22 Kirtland release. “To get to 4,000 hours takes at least 15 years of flying,” noted Dinsmore, who has flown for the past 18 years of his 23 years in uniform. “I’ve had great opportunities and seen many things. Nothing compares to being a career aviator,” he added. Dinsmore is a superintendent with Kirtland’s 512th Rescue Squadron. (Kirtland report by Stafan Bocchino)