Col. Patrick McKenzie, commander of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan AB, South Korea, reached his 3,000th flight hour in the F-16, joining a group of some 200 pilots worldwide who have accumulated this many hours in the Viper cockpit, according to a base release. “I feel very lucky to have been able to reach this feat,” said McKenzie, who reached the milestone during a March 28 sortie, states the release. “While I get to personally reach the milestone, it is not something that I accomplished myself. Many others to include maintainers, support personnel, and fellow fighter pilots have all made this milestone attainable,” he added. McKenzie has been an F-16 pilot for more than 22 years, according to the release. “This is a rare accomplishment for any fighter pilot; I have been blessed to fly the F-16 long enough to reach the mark,” he said. (Osan report by SSgt. Sara Csurilla)
A massive contract to manage thousands of PCS moves failed because U.S. Transportation Command did not adequately oversee the results, according to the Government Accountability Office.