F-16 Pilot Tags and Patches

Another record has been set in the F-16. Major Mike Brill became the first pilot to reach 4, 000 flight hours in the Fighting Falcon. He achieved this milestone on August 21, 1998, in a Block 30 F-16C at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Col. Jeffrey S. 'CAG' Smiley, pilot with the 111th Fighter Squadron (part of the ANG 147 FW), passed the 4,000-hour mark in the F-16 during an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat mission.

Max "Max" Vilhelmsen, leader of the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) at Skrydstrup FSN, passed the 4,000-hour mark in the F-16 today during a training mission with F-15 Eagles from the 493rd FS currently at Skrydstrup.

A South Carolina Air National Guard pilot passed an aviation milestone Monday.

Col. Robert Polumbo, 482nd Fighter Wing vice commander, surpassed the milestone of 4,000 F-16 flying hours on Tuesday, and was promptly greeted with hugs from his family and a celebration with fellow Makos.

As a young Air Force brat, Lt. Col. John Wynne dreamed of one day being an officer just like his dad.

In January 1979, the first operational F-16 Fighting Falcon was delivered to Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Nearly 30 years later to the day, a pilot from Luke AFB has amassed 4,000 hours flying this workhorse of the air.

Over the skies of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, one Luke F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot recently reached a milestone that few pilots can claim.

A pilot with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing reached a monumental milestone while deployed on February 5th, 2010.

In the fast-paced world of supersonic jet fighters, 4,000 hours is a very, very long time.

Earning the opportunity to fly a fighter aircraft in the Air Force is an honor few Airmen are chosen for, and being assigned to the F-16 "Fighting Falcon" for 24 years on active duty is an even rarer achievement.

Fly--Fight--Win: three words that define our focus, our duty and our purpose. For a fighter pilot, every sortie - every bomb or bullet on target - every minute of reconnaissance vividly represents those words. And each successive "Mission Complete" sharpens their commitment to get the job done.

Only 33 pilots in the 20-year history of the F-16 Fighting Falcon have reached 4,000 flying hours in the aircraft until December 14.

Lt.Col. Scott "Cleetus" Bridgers recently joined the elite class of F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots to cross the 4000-hour flying threshold, stepping to his aircraft with nearly 3,996 hours in the seat of a Viper and landing with 4,000.5.

In the span of a month, two South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 pilots have reached a milestone few aviators achieve. Col. David "Oscar" Meyer is the second pilot from the 169th Fighter Wing to reach 4,000 hours in the F-16 while deployed supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

There's something to be said for goals - whether big or small, they motivate a person to keep going, to take one more step when quitting would be so much easier. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if all this hard work will lead to something worth the effort. For Col. Kurt "Huevos" Gallegos, 301st Operations Group Commander, it's led to reaching milestones that only come with hard work and time.

Commander Marc "CharlZ" Longle, became the first Belgian pilot to pass 4000hrs on August 29th, 2014 after a short flight from Florennes AB in Belgium. He becomes a member of a very exclusive club.

Col. Gregory Jones, 944th Operations Group commander, completed 4000 flying hours in the F-16 Fighting Falcon, January 9, 2015.