Page 4 - Desert Lightning News So. AZ Edition, July 2019

4 July 2019 Desert Lightning News

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Misawa Block-50 F-16 hits 10K hours, an AF first

Story and photo by Airman 1st Class
CHINA SHOCK

35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class China Shock

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — One of Misawa Air Base’s most famous flightline Col. Kristopher Struve, the 35th Fighter Wing commander, holds up the 14th Fighter
assets hit a historic milestone June 10. A 29-year-old Block-50 F-16 Fighting Falcon, Squadron call sign, “Wood,” before a takeoff June 10 at Misawa Air Base, Japan.
tail number 808 and affectionately known as “BOB,” reached 10,000 flight hours during This aircraft is the first Block-50 F-16 Fighting Falcon in the entire Air Force inven-
a sortie flown across Japan. tory to hit the 10,000-flight hour milestone.

BOB is the first Block-50 F-16 in the entire Air Force inventory to hit 10,000 hours and components and then rebuild it. Throughout the entire process, some maintainers
after Col. Kristopher Struve, 35th Fighter Wing commander, piloted the aircraft through feel the jets take on their own temperaments, said Capt. Kayla Pipe, the 14th AMU
the history-making flight. officer in charge.

“Ten thousand flight hours is a testament to American engineering, but more impor- “I would say BOB has the most personality on the flightline,” Pipe said. “BOB will
tantly, the blood, sweat and tears of the thousands of maintainers who have turned a throw a fit every TDY. He doesn’t like going, but when he’s in the air, he is the show
wrench on this aircraft since 1990,” Struve said following the flight. “This jet has been horse and a real champ.”
in service for 29 years and an 18-year-old maintainer launched me today. I am proud
of our maintenance team and how they continue to make the mission happen. They See 10K, Page 12
work around the clock to ensure our base is ready and able to ensure a free and open
Indo-Pacific at any time, whenever called upon.”

Senior Airman Gage Putman, a 14th Aircraft Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief,
may have taken over primary maintenance of the jet on May 4, 2018, but gives credit to
the whole AMU and countless others throughout its lifetime for the aircraft’s longevity.

“Everybody has pitched in with their effort to get BOB to where it’s at now,” Putman
said. “BOB having so many flight hours is just a reflection of everybody’s work ethic here.”

Aircraft 808 etched its name in history flying in support of Operation Southern Watch
in 1999 and during exercises like Pitch Black, Vigilant Ace, Red Flag and, most recently,
in support of exercise Cope Tiger. The longevity of this aircraft is thanks to its mainte-
nance team, consisting of one crew chief and several other maintenance professionals,
rotating in and out to provide service to the F-16s 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In order to maintain this high-level operations tempo, every 400 flight hours the
jets are put into what’s known as “phase maintenance.” This is no quick process; it
takes more than 800 maintenance actions, consuming upward of 1,500 man-hours to
complete. Maintenance crews disassemble the jet, thoroughly inspect all of the systems

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