News Releases for March 2006
March 6, 2006
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Hoeven: Hooligans Set New Flight Safety Record
Col. Robert Becklund, right, congratulates Major Craig Borgstrom (31kb jpg) at the completion of a practice air defense scramble mission conducted today at the North Dakota Air National Guard alert detachment, Langley Air Force Base, Va.
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today announced that pilots from the 119th Fighter Wing have surpassed 70,000 hours of accident-free flying in the F-16 fighter aircraft. The new record was set today during a practice air defense scramble mission from the North Dakota Guard's Alert Detachment at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
“The Happy Hooligans have continually proven themselves as the best of the best,” Hoeven said. “This new safety record is a testament to the dedication and professionalism of our pilots and all of the airmen that support their mission.”
No other Air National Guard F-16 fighter squadron has flown more than 50,000 hours without an aircraft crash or other serious mishap. Only one Air Force F-16 fighter squadron has flown as rigorously. The North Dakota Air National Guard has flown the F-16 Air Defense Fighter since December 1989 and is regularly acknowledged for their impeccable flight safety record by both National Guard Bureau and Headquarters, Air Combat Command, U.S. Air Force.
Seventy-thousand hours of continuous accident-free flying equates to a single F-16 flying non-stop for nearly eight years.
A special celebration is being planned for this Saturday, March 11, at the 119th Fighter Wing during drill weekend, including senior vice presidents of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, manufacturer of the F-16, and Pratt & Whitney division of United Technologies Corporation, manufacturer of the F-16 jet engines.
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