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Kadena's 67th FS commander achieves aviation milestone

  • Published
  • By Walter T. Ham IV
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Joining a select group of seasoned fighter pilots, the 67th Fighter Squadron commander reached his 2,000th flight hour in the F-15 Eagle Feb. 12. 

Lt. Col. Robert Novotny, who assumed command of the 67th FS in May 2008, achieved this aviation milestone during a routine training mission. 

When he dismounted the plane after the flight, he was sprayed with a fire hose - the U.S. Air Force equivalent of pouring Gatorade on a victorious coach. He also earned a triangular patch to signify his 2,000 hours. 

"I know several 2,000-hour Eagle drivers, mostly peers of mine," said Colonel Novotny, "and I know a few 3,000-hour pilots too. I think there are only two or three 4,000-hour F-15 pilots." 

The colonel has flown more the 1,200 missions as a part of the 71st Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va.; the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; and during two tours with Kadena's 67th FS. 

Colonel Novotny became the fourth Kadena-based F-15 pilot to exceed 2,000 flight hours. 18th Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Brett Williams has flown more than 3,600 hours in the Eagle. 18th Operations Group Commander, Col. Ronald Banks, and 18th Operations Support Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Joseph Coogan, also have more than 2,000 flight hours in the F-15. 

Most F-15 training missions are 45 to 90 minutes. However, Lt. Col. Novotny accumulated a greater number of flight hours during combat sorties over Iraq that sometimes lasted up to eight hours. He flew more than 500 hours in support of Operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom. 

"Night one of Operation Iraqi Freedom is a prescient memory," he said. "We were very aware of our need to do our absolute best if we wanted the coalition to be successful." 

The 67th "Fighting Cocks" have operated out of the Pacific theater since 1942 and have flown the F-15 Eagle since 1979. The squadron flew combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The Air Force's first Medal of Honor recipient commanded the then-67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron from 1948 to 1950. Maj. Louis J. Sebille posthumously received America's highest military honor for crashing his terminally damaged F-51 into an enemy gun battery during the Korean War. A road on Kadena Air Base bears his name. 

"Peace is in the Pacific in part because of the foundation laid by the 67th Fighter Squadron," the squadron commander said. 

The workhorse of the U.S. Air Force fighter fleet, the F-15 Eagle has helped the U.S. to maintain air supremacy since it first took to the sky in 1975. 

"Its world renowned history of 104 enemy kills to zero combat losses is in a category all of its own," Colonel Novotny said. 

A prerequisite for winning wars, air supremacy is a perishable commodity. To own the skies, nothing replaces having the best aircraft and the best-trained pilots in the world, according to the colonel. 

"I don't believe there is any substitute for actual flight time," he said. "Leadership in the air is directly correlated to the amount of situations you've encountered, how you've responded and what you've learned from those experiences."

According to General Williams, squadron commanders like Colonel Novotny must lead from the front. 

"To fly, fight and win, our leaders always have to set the right example," said General Williams. "My expectation is that all of our squadron commanders--flyers, maintainers, medics, combat support--will always lead from the front maintaining currency and competency in the mission they expect their Airmen to execute. Blend'r sets an excellent example and I am proud of the expertise and leadership he exhibits."