The Shreveport Times
July 7, 2011
A foursome of A-10 pilots with the local 917th Fighter Group hope to set a record for combined flight hours later this month.
On July 15, the four Barksdale-based Air Force Reserve pilots will carve their names into aviation history by surpassing a total of 20,000 combined cockpit hours in their A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jets.
The four, all lieutenant colonels, are James Macaulay, David Deaton, Marc Olson and Brady Glick. After the four-ship flight, Macaulay will be promoted to the rank of full colonel in a ceremony presided over by Col. Eric S. Overturf, commander of the group's parent 442nd Fighter Wing, out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
Overturf has been at Barksdale several times in recent months to take part in milestones in the unit's history. In early January, he was at the base to take part in the deactivation of the 917th Wing and standup of the 307th Bomb Wing in its place. Last month, he was at the base to preside over the installation of Col. John Breazeale as the new group's first commander.
The flight will mark a second record-setting sortie for the foursome. They set the previous record of 17,742 combined hours in the A-10 during a four-ship flight in 2008.
In all, the four have completed more than 10,000 sorties. Macaulay also will take the lead in A-10 flying hours with more than 5,200.
Lt. Col. James Macaulay, of the 917th Fighter Group, is among a foursome of A-10 pilots who hope to set a record for combined flight hours. / USAFR
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See also:
Macaulay marks 5,000
One for the history books
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