Eclipsing the 1,000-hour mark: B-2 pilot joins select group

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Stephen Linch
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
It takes years for a B-2 pilot to fully master the skills necessary to employ one of the world's most powerful weapon systems. And in the B-2 community reaching 1,000 flying hours is a milestone few have achieved. 

"A pilot reaching 1,000 flying hours in the B-2 is a significant landmark for the person and the program," said Lt. Col. Frank Cavuoti, 394th Combat Training Squadron senior instructor, and the 12th person to reach 1,000 flying hours in the B-2. 

Perserverance and consistency are key to achieving the coveted goal.
 
A typical B-2 pilot flies anywhere between a 100 to 150 hours per year. 

That means it takes a long time to reach the goal of flying 1,000 flying hours, said Lt. Col. Tony Monetti, 394th CTS and the 17th pilot to reach the 1,000-hour mark. 

A pilot who reaches the 1,000-hour mark is among only a handful of other B-2 pilots who shine brightly in their elite field. 

"This stellar achievement bolsters pride and shows the dedication and professionalism of the wing," Colonel Cavuoti said. 

The pilots that are able to achieve the milestone offer much more to their counterparts. 

The B-2 pilots who have reached this mark provide a lot of wisdom and expertise for younger, less experienced pilots to tap into, said Lt. Col. Terrence Sunnarborg, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Course Detachment 400 commander, Michigan Technological University, and the 13th pilot to reach the milestone. 

Col. Eric Single, 509th Bomb Wing vice commander, joined the elite group of B-2 pilots when he reached the 1,000-hour milestone Tuesday. 

The 25-year Air Force veteran flew the Spirit of Ohio on a 3.5 hour sortie that included an air refueling and simulated weapons deliveries on three target complexes. 

"One thousand hours is a rare milestone in this aircraft," Colonel Single said. "The small fleet size limits the number of sorties our pilots can accomplish each year, which makes our T-38 companion training program and weapon system trainers critical to keeping our pilots proficient." 

It can take seven to eight years for a pilot to reach 1,000 hours in the B-2, he added. 

"In the 13 years I've been associated with the program, I've seen the B-2 transform from its basic Block 10 configuration to the robust weapon system we have today -- an exponential increase in capability from the initial B-2 that rolled off the assembly line. 

"Today's B-2 is truly an awesome weapons system; it's by far the most advanced and capable long-range strikeplatform in the inventory today," Colonel Single said. 

Colonel Single's wife, Laura, and son, Sean, greeted him with a shower courtesy of the base fire department as many key base leaders cheered and waited to congratulate him. 

Capt. Jeffrey Godzik, 509th Operations Support Squadron, presented Colonel Single with a certificate for his achievement. 

"If you ask anyone who has flown the
B-2, whether one hour or 1,000 hours
they'll tell you it is an incredible experience"
said Lt. Col. Scott Young, 509th Operations Group deputy commander, and the 14th pilot to achieve the goal. 

"To achieve the milestone means that pilot spent countless hours studying the incredibly complex systems and missions of the B-2." 

Although the day be longed to Colonel Single, he didn't achieve this goal by himself. 

"I would like to thank the maintainers on the line and in the backshops," he said. "I didn't fly 1,000 hours in this airplane without a ton of hard work -- the big thing to focus on is not the individual milestone. 

"It is a wing-wide milestone, which took incredible teamwork and dedication to produce all those sorties, something our maintenance and support professionals do every day. They are truly the heart and soul of the B-2 mission," he said. 

Colonel Single first served at Whiteman in April 1994 as a B-2 formal training unit instructor, weapons and tactics officer and flight commander and ultimately as operations officer, 394th Combat Training Squadron. 

He commanded the 393d Bomb Squadron from 1998 to 2000, and then left Whiteman for five years before his return as the vice wing commander. 

He is a command pilot with more than 5,300 flight hours in aircraft such as the T-37, T-38, B-52G, B-52H and the B-2. 

Colonel Single has flown more than 30 combat sorties, including one of historic proportion: He flew the first B-2 combat mission on night one of Operation Allied Force over Kosovo in 1998.