944 FW 4000 mark

Col. Gregory Jones (right), 944th Operations Group commander, is congratulated by Col. Kurt Gallegos, 944th Fighter Wing commander, after completing 4000 hours of flying Jan. 8, 2015, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Jones and Gallegos are two out of 42 pilots in the Air Force who have reached this milestone. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lausanne Kinder)

944th pilot aims high and logs 4,000 flying hours

Published Jan. 11, 2015
By Staff Sgt. Lausanne Kinder
944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZ. -- Col. Gregory Jones, 944th Operations Group commander, completed 4000 flying hours in the F-16 Fighting Falcon, Jan. 9.

He first flew the F-16 in 1990 when he went through the training course here; after 25 years of service, he reached a milestone that very few pilots are able to achieve.

"The Air Force Reserve is definitely a great place to be for a tenured flying career," said Jones.

There are only 42 pilots who have flown over 4000 hours and only one other here at Luke, Col. Kurt Gallegos, 944th FW commander.

Although Jones is being recognized, he credits the people who have helped him with this accomplishment.

"It's important to highlight the impressive job the F-16 maintenance community does efficiently generating safe and effective aircraft for both training and combat missions."

Jones' next assignment is to the 10th Air Force Fort Worth after com¬pleting his time here as OG commander.