Two F-117A pilots reach 1,000 hours

Published April 2, 2004

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (ACCNS) -- Two pilots reached 1,000 flying hours in the F-117A Nighthawk when they touched down on the runway here March 29.

Lt. Col. Frank Rogers, Detachment 1, 53rd Test and Evaluations Group Operations director here, and Maj. John Markle, 7th Combat Training Squadron Assistant Operations director here are the 14th and 15th F-117A pilots to reach this milestone.

I feel extremely fortunate to be in a group of highly distinguished fighter pilots, said Colonel Rogers, who has been in the Air Force for 22 years. If you stay healthy and avoid staff jobs, the flying hours continue to build.

Major Markle said achieving this milestone at the same time with Colonel Rogers adds significance. Colonel Rogers was the standardization and evaluation flight examiner during Major Markles first F-111E Aardvark instrument qualification check ride in 1990 while flying with the NATO tigers. The pair flew together during Operation Allied Force in 1999.

Major Markle said during his first three-year tour here, he flew 534 hours. Most pilots only fly about 300 to 450 hours, but because of deployments from 1997 to 1999, Major Markle was able to fly more hours.

In a family of about 500 F-117A pilots, few accomplish this feat because these pilots normally serve only one three-year tour. Colonel Rogers has served at Holloman for almost seven years and plans to be the F-117A weapons projects officer at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Major Markle served one tour, then a remote at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, and returned to Holloman for another tour. During the second tour, Major Markle flew 466 hours to reach the 1,000-hour milestone.

Major Markle said reaching 1,000 is an honor, but one of his greatest moments was flying an F-117A at an air show in New Jersey. His dad cleared him over the radio into the air show airspace. After the performance, people were thanking him and children were asking how they could become a pilot.

This brought back the memories of my first air show, he said. My dad took me to McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. F-105s, F-106s and F-4s were flying low and fast. That did it; my goal then was to become what I am today: a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Now its my turn to plant that goal for others.