Category: Eagle Country

by Airman 1st Class Erin R. Babis
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

2/26/2016 – ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England — The 493rd Fighter Squadron commander, Lt. Col. John Stratton, earned his 2,000 flying hours patch Feb. 26.

A crowd of more than 30 of Stratton’s friends, family members and fellow Airmen from the 48th Fighter Wing gathered as he pulled up to the protective aircraft shelter in his F-15C Eagle.

“My first flight in the F-15C Eagle was on Aug. 4, 1999,” Stratton remarked, asking that no one tell him how old they were back then. “Therefore, it’s taken almost 17 years to reach this milestone.”

As his wife, Tara, headed out to the PAS to greet her husband, she echoed his sentiment of the amount of time it has taken to accomplish 2,000 flying hours.

“I’m excited for him,” Tara said. “He’s been working toward this for a long time now.”

Col. Robert Novotny, 48th Fighter Wing commander, who has known Stratton for a while, presented him with the 2,000-hour flying patch. Stratton saw Novotny earn his 2,000-hour flying patch when they were stationed together in the 67th Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan.

“We first met when he was assistant director of operations,” Novotny explained. “We were in the same squadron together, and I was the commander. Now, to see him leading the 493rd, it’s been really cool to see his success over his career. 2,000 hours! That’s a lot of flying in the F-15C. The sorties are short, and so that’s a lot of experience. It doesn’t happen as much as it used to. It’s really cool to see people get their 2,000-hour patches.”

“I am honored to have my wing commander, who has earned 2,000 hours in the Eagle, to put my 2,000-hour patch on as a squadron commander,” Stratton said.

by Capt. Angela Walz
142nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

2/19/2016 – PORTLAND AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ore. — Colonel Adam “Khan” Sitler joined an elite group of fighter pilots to reach 3,000 flight hours in an F-15 Eagle, Feb. 18 at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. Sitler, an F-15 instructor pilot and the 142nd Operations Group Commander, crossed that threshold during a routine training mission here. He is the 99th pilot on record with Boeing as having achieved 3,000 flying hours in an F-15.

“Each and every sortie takes a team effort. No one reaches an aviation milestone on their own,” Sitler said. “I’m the beneficiary of countless hours of toil on the part of the most professional aircraft maintainers in the world. They deliver not just safe, but fully mission capable aircraft that I’m privileged to fly,” he said.

As the 142 OG Commander, Col. Sitler leads more than 375 personnel in the execution of the F-15 mission defending the Pacific Northwest, worldwide deployments supporting national objectives, and domestic operations activities as directed by the Governor. He has flown more than 50 combat missions and 250 combat hours in Operation Allied Force and Operation Southern Watch.

“He’s a great fighter pilot, an extraordinary leader and mentor to our junior pilots, and an overall asset to the Air Force and the Oregon Air National Guard,” said Col. Donna Prigmore, 142nd Fighter Wing Vice Commander. “Khan epitomizes the National Guard motto of ‘always on mission.’ It’s because of people like him that the Air National Guard is always ready, always there,” Col. Prigmore said.

Sitler speaks passionately about his Air Force job and the Air National Guard mission. “It takes continual practice to be ready to provide air superiority at any time, at any place.  It’s not an exaggeration to say that for every hour spent in the air, at least five or more hours are spent on the ground planning, preparing, briefing, and debriefing each and every sortie.  The American people expect us to be ready, and we’re ready to live up to that demand,” he said.

Colonel Sitler was commissioned in May 1996 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Upon completion of Undergraduate Pilot Training and F-15 Training, he was assigned to the 493rd Fighter Squadron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom. He served as a Combat Mission Ready Wingman, Flight-Lead, Mission Commander and Instructor Pilot.

In 2001, Col. Sitler was assigned to the 71st Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. He served as a Combat Mission Ready Instructor Pilot and Weapons Officer after completing the United States Air Force Weapons School in 2003. In 2004 he was assigned to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where he served as the Chief of F-15 Projects.

Sitler separated from active-duty Air Force in January of 2007 and joined the 142nd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard. He has served as Squadron and Wing Weapons Officer, Flight Commander, Squadron Operations Officer, Wing Consolidated Unit Inspection Project Officer, and Fighter Squadron Commander.