F-16 Pilot Tags and Patches

A Nellis pilot reached a flying milestone September 18th in the F-16 Fighting Falcon, when he logged his 3,000th hour.

Equivalent to 125 days spent strapped into a seat of an F-16 Fighting Falcon is the flying of 3,000 hours -- a milestone one pilot surpassed at Luke on September 22nd.

Lt. Col. Brad Jackson, a full-time pilot from the 148th Fighter Wing, surpassed the distinctive 3000 flight hours mark in an F-16C Fighting Falcon on February 7, 2009.

The 944th Fighter Wing commander logged his 3,000th F-16 flying hour May 20 in a basic fighter maneuver mission at Luke AFB.

With 19 years of experience flying the F-16, Lt. Col. Jack Maixner, 56th Operations Groups deputy commander, hit 3,000 flying hours June 3 at Luke Air Force Base.

In 1985 Robert D. Whitehouse joined the Air Force as a cadet at the Air Force Academy because of patriotism and a call to public service, with the dream of becoming a pilot.

During a training mission from Volkel Air Base yesterday afternoon, Col. Peter Tankink passed 3000 flying hour in the F-16. This makes him the 8th Dutch pilot to achieve this mark.

Soaring above the skies of Luke Air Force Base, a pilot reached a milestone few pilots can claim throughout their careers. Maj. Saxon Yandell, 69th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations, reached his 3,000th F-16 flying hour March 15 after 15 years of flying.

On a scorching afternoon in the skies over Luke Air Force Base, one F- 16 pilot reached a milestone few can claim in their careers.

Col. Patrick McKenzie, 51st Fighter Wing commander, joined a small elite group of pilots by reaching 3,000 hours in an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Osan, March 28, 2013.

Reaching 3,000 F-16 flying hours is a milestone few pilots reach in their entire career. On the first day of spring, the list of pilots who have reached that milestone added one more name.

Major Egil Angell-Jacobsen passed 3,000 hours in the cockpit of an F-16 fighter while en-route to Exercise Red Flag which will start at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada this week.

Col. Gregory Lair, 114th Operations Group commander and Lt. Col Eric Knutson, 114th Fighter Wing chief of safety, reached a milestone by netting 3,000 career flight hours during a training sortie at Joe Foss Field, March 11, 2015.

Over the last 18 years, the current 79th Fighter Squadron commander has spent 125 days flying in the cockpit of an F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Lt. Col. Beau Diers, 555th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander, has experienced more than most over the course of his 17-year career in the U.S. Air Force.

As of November 23, 2020, only 295 pilots worldwide could claim to have surpassed three thousand flying hours in the F-16 Fighting Falcon. That number is now 296.