Seymour Johnson F-15E Strike Eagle hits 10,000 flying hours

Seymour Johnson F-15E Strike Eagle hits 10,000 flying hours

By Dario Leone
Oct 15 2018
Share this article

F-15E tail 472 is the first Strike Eagle assigned to a Seymour Johnson AFB training squadron, 333rd or 334th FS, to achieve this feat and is the 10th overall 4th Fighter Wing jet to reach that milestone

On Sep. 18, 2018 F-15E Strike Eagle tail 472 achieved a rare milestone within the training community: it reached 10,000-flying hours.

F-15E tail 472 arrived at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (AFB), N.C. on Jul. 1, 1990 and was assigned to the 333rd Fighter Squadron (FS) in January 2010.

As told by Airman 1st Class Shawna L. Keyes, 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, in the article An F-15E Strike Eagle achieves 10,000 flying hours, it is the first F-15E assigned to a Seymour Johnson AFB training squadron, 333rd or 334th FS, to achieve this feat and is the 10th overall 4th Fighter Wing jet to reach that milestone.

Seymour Johnson F-15E Strike Eagle hits 10,000 flying hours
F-15E Strike Eagle tail 472 assigned to the 333rd Fighter Squadron takes off, Sept. 18, 2018, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Tail 472 achieved a unique milestone by reaching 10,000-flying hours, the only one to do so amongst the training squadrons at the 4th Fighter Wing.

Master Sgt. Justin Wolfe, 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron 333rd aircraft maintenance unit production superintendent, explains that this achievement is rare within a training squadron because the aircraft do not fly long training missions with the student pilot and weapon systems officers.

“It takes dedicated men and women to perform maintenance to the best of their abilities to keep these jets going,” said Wolfe. “There’s a lot of strain and stress that’s put on the aircraft and to have an aircraft make it to 10,000 hours and still be flying is a huge feat in and of itself.”

While achieving its 10,000-flying hour, Lt. Col. George Quint, 333rd FS WSO instructor, whose name is painted on the side of the jet, flew in the aircraft while it achieved this milestone.

Seymour Johnson F-15E Strike Eagle hits 10,000 flying hours
F-15E Strike Eagle tail 472 assigned to the 333rd Fighter Squadron, soars through the skies, Sept. 18, 2018, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Tail 472 became the 10th aircraft assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing to reach 10,000-flying hours.

“It’s a huge success for both the 333d FS and 333d AMU to have an aircraft reach 10,000 hours,” said Quint. “Having my name painted on a Strike Eagle is an honor, especially 472 since it hit this milestone. The hard work and dedication of both the 333d maintainers and instructors enabled 472 to reach 10,000 hours!”

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day or night, and in all weather.

The first production model of the F-15E was delivered to the 405th Tactical Training Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz., in April 1988.

Seymour Johnson F-15E Strike Eagle hits 10,000 flying hours
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-15E Strike Eagle 366th Fighter Wing, 391st Fighter Squadron, MO/90-0249 – Mountain Home AFB, ID – 2008

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Shawna L. Keyes

Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

    List of some possible advertising permissions:

    You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices