Viper Driver Flying Hours

Born June 20,1954 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Died on February 1, 2003 over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing. He is survived by his wife Rona and their four children.

Ilan attended flight-training school as an 18-year-old recruit to the pilots' course at Hatzerim air force base outside Beersheva.

Long before he received his college degree at 33, Ilan distinguished himself in combat. He flew in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, even though technically he still was a trainee.

In 1974, Ilan graduated as a fighter pilot from the Israel Air Force (IAF) flight school.

From 1974-1976 he participated in A-4 Basic Training and Operations.

From 1976 to 1980 he was in Mirage III-C training and operations programs.

In 1980, as one of the IAF's establishment team of the first F-16 Squadron in Israel, he attended the F-16 Training Course at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

From 1981 to 1983 Ilan served as a Deputy Squadron Commander B of Israel's F-16 squadron. During that time (1981) Ilan was one of eight Israeli F-16 pilots who destroyed the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad in a lightning raid that shocked the world. The following year Ilan flew missions over Lebanon as part of Operation Peace for Galilee.

From 1983-1987, he attended the University of Tel Aviv where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in electronics and computer engineering. He also participated in the development of the Israeli Lavi fighter jet, until the project was cancelled.

From 1988 through 1992, he rose through the ranks and ended up as commander of Israel's F-16 Squadron. He had recorded a total of 1,000 flight hours in his F-16 by then, and an additional three thousand flight hours on A-4, Mirage III-C and F-4 planes.

During 1990, he attended the Squadron Commanders Course.

From 1990-1992, he served as Squadron Commander, F-16 Squadron.

From 1992-1994, he was Head of the Aircraft Branch in the Operations Requirement Department.

In 1994, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and assigned as Head of the Department of Operational Requirement for Weapon Development and Acquisition.

He stayed at this post until 1998.

Note: The raid on the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor was a milestone in Israeli aviation history because the planes flew over enemy Arab territory for hours without being detected. The pilots flew in a tightly bunched formation to send off a radar signal resembling that of a large commercial airliner. Although the move was widely condemned at the time, analysts later concluded that it set back an Iraqi nuclear weapons program and eased U.S. operations in the Persian Gulf War of 1991.

The inherent danger of the mission did not prevent Ilan, who at 27 was the youngest member of the F-16 squadron, from volunteering for the most dangerous rear position. Ilan selected the attack route, and navigated and planned fuel consumption for the four-hour round trip over hostile territory.