Luke AFB reaches millionth-hour milestone

  • Published
  • By Stephen Delgado
  • Luke Air Force Base Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) --  Translating a million hours into years equals 114 years and one month. Going that far back in time places a person in February of 1899.

Luke Air Force Base reached an aircraft milestone March 13 when an F-16 Fighting Falcon took to the sky marking 1 million flying hours in this venerable jet at Luke AFB.

First Lt. Matthew Wetherbee, a student pilot with the 309th Fighter Squadron, and Capt. Joseph Walker, a 309th FS instructor pilot and assistant chief of weapons piloted this historic flight.

"The flight went very well, with Lieutenant Wetherbee performing tactical intercepts to achieve a visual identification of a simulated enemy aircraft and employ weapons," said Walker, who accompanied Wetherbee in the cockpit. "My role was to ensure safe execution and provide airborne instruction to ensure that the desired learning objectives were met."

Col. John Hanna, the 56th Operations Group commander, said that Luke AFB is the first base to achieve the 1-million-hour mark.

"This feat was quite an historic event, and I was honored to be part of it," he said. "I started flying the F-16 with the 62nd Fighter Squadron in 1989 when we used to do much of the F-16 training at MacDill AFB, Fla.

"As an instructor in the 309th FS from 2002 to 2003, it was neat to have a young lieutenant be the one to actually hit the mark. He'll be able to carry that his whole career and it was fitting that a student be the one, since the milestone was reached at the premier F-16 training base in the world. It was even more special since this great event occurred in the same squadron where I was previously assigned."

Walker praised the quality of students who train at Luke AFB, and said he looks forward to continuing this legacy.

"The caliber of students we receive here makes my job much easier and very rewarding," he said. "Their motivation and desire to learn is remarkable. I am very pleased to have a part in the mission of training the fighter pilots of tomorrow. I hope Luke (AFB) continues to fly fighters and train fighter pilots for another million hours, if not in the F-16, then in other fighters, continuing the tremendous history and legacy of this base."

The F-16 arrived at Luke AFB Dec. 6, 1982, and since then thousands of students have been trained here.