F-16 Archives

By Debbie Gregory.

An Air Force pilot with the 79^th Fighter Squadron has logged an impressive amount of time in the cockpit, the equivalent of over four months of flight time.

Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Millero Jr, Commander of the 79^th Fighter Squadron, has become the 260^th pilot in history to log 3,000 hours of flight time in an F-16 Fighting Falcon. If you don’t have your calculator handy, 3,000 hours is the equivalent of 125 days (3,000/24).

In his more than 19 years of combined service, Lt. Col. Millero has flown with eleven different USAF and five different Air National Guard squadrons. He has also flown three different models of the F-16, blocks 30, 40, and 50. Millero credits his exposure to the different models for providing him with a variety of skill sets as an F-16 pilot. His experience in the cockpit makes Millero an effective pilot and leader.

But even those with experience still tend to rely on good luck charms. Millero takes his father’s dog tags with him when he flies. The squadron commander says that the tags remind him of his father’s sacrifice, and the opportunities that his father’s service provided him.

Included in these hours are the 611 hours flown in combat, both in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Lt. Col. Millero is a Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation New Dawn and Operation Southern Watch.

While Millero plans to keep on flying, he intends to pass on all that he has learned to younger generations of pilots. He says that he gets the most enjoyment out of instructing others.

We at Military Connection would like to thank Lt. Col. Millero for his service and congratulate him on passing this incredible milestone. We would also like to encourage future generations of Air Force pilots to try and emulate Lt. Col. Millero’s professionalism and perseverance, and to Aim High… Fly-Fight-Win!

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard,Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: USAF Pilot Logs 3,000 Hours: By Debbie Gregory

On August 19, 2014, the U.S. Air Force grounded more than half of its F-16D Fighting Falcons, after a routine inspection found them to be damaged, according to its Air Combat Command (ACC).

In a Pentagon release, the damage was described as being “canopy sill longeron cracks found between the front and rear pilot seats.” The cracks were discovered after a routine post-flight inspection on one of the jets. The discovery of cracks led to a fleet-wide inspection order throughout the USAF.

In total, 82 of the Air Force’s 157 F-16D’s were found to have the cracks, and were ordered to stand-down. The 75 remaining operable F-16D’s have been cleared to resume their duties.

Since the discovery, the Air Force has been working with Lockheed Martin engineers to discover the cause of the cracks, and what the repair options are.

The Air Force still maintains 812 other F-16 jets, which include a number of different variants, and are not impacted by the inspections or the damaged canopy sills.

Top Air Force generals, including ACC commander Mike Hostage, have said they must keep an eye on the wear and tear on the F-16s. The F-16 recently celebrated its 40th year of production, but older models have been continuously upgraded as there are advancements in the technology.

Although no official deadline has been given to get the grounded jets back in the air, it is predicted that a mix of American ingenuity and military know-how will get the birds back in the skies soon.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard &amp, Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.