On March 30, 2007, four pilots from the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard got together at Barnes ANGB for a special flight! Two records were about to be broken that day by this select group of pilots. Lead by Colonel Jon "Motley" Mott, 104th Operations Group Commander, this group was about to break the record for the most combined flying-hours in a four-ship formation, achieving a total of combined 15,584 flight hours. Flying alongside Colonel Motley were Colonel Marcel "Jake" Kerdavid jr., 104th FW Commander, Lt Col. Ken "Torch" Stiles and Lt Col. Ed "Sped" Sommers. During that same flight, Colonel Mott broke another record for the most hours flown in an A-10 "Thunderbolt II" which was previously set in 1999 by Maj. Gen. James Skiff (Ret.) at 4,550 hours. "Motley" achieved a total of 4,572 hours when he landed at Barnes that day. After earning his wings in 1983, Col. Mott has flown the A-10, logging both peace-time and combat-hours in the aircraft. "I am excited about the transition, but not looking forward to leaving the Hog," said Col. Mott. "It will be a sad day when I make my final landing. I have so many good memories behind the stick!" The 104th Fighter Wing has begun a transition to the F-15C and a new mission following the 2005 BRAC recommendations. The wing will soon receive F-15C from the 102nd Fighter Wing at Cape Cod, Mass. to replace its A-10s already on their way to the 175th Wing/MD ANG and 184th FW/AR ANG.
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Retired Lt Col. Ron Henry, who was the previous record holder of 4,330 hours in 1997, and retired Gen. Skiff were in attendance to share with Col. Mott on his accomplishment. "We knew our records would not stand forever."As the value of the A-10 is reaffirmed overseas, I am sure Col. Mott's record will broken too, but it's still a huge achievement." said Lt Col. Henry. Retired Lt Col. Bob Silva, former A-10 pilot now the A-10 Operations Adviser for Lockheed Martin, awarded Col. Mott a very special milestone award for his record setting performance. "Lockheed Martin is so proud of Col. Mott and every Hog driver for making this aircraft such a successful platform," said Bob Silva. "As a former A-10 pilot, I can truly appreciate the work that went into breaking this record." added Silva. For his record breaking flight, Col. Mott had some company! Family, friends and those who came before him were able to watch him soar into history in the skies over New England. Family members, media representatives and distinguished guests had the opportunity to fly into a KC-135E from he 108th Air Refueling Wing from the New Jersey Air National Guard located at McGuire AFB, NJ. The KC-135E's mission was to refuel the A-10s during their flight and provide a platform for the guests to witness this special event. "This is our first opportunity to see what he does everyday, it's very exciting to be up on the jet and watch him refuel," said Mott's wife Trish. To show family members what he can do, Col. Mott demonstrated an air-to-air refueling. And with thousands of hours in the air, it's an exercise he's familiar with.
In addition to Col. Mott's record, Lt Col. Ken "Torch" Stiles reached an impressive milestone of 4,000 hours in the A-10 during that flight. "Torch" is is now part of a select group of about 12 active A-10 pilot who have achieved this status. Colonel Kerdavid landed with 3,513 hours and Lt Col. Sommers with 3,499 hours. Still an impressive amount for any Hog driver. Lt Col. Stiles is a traditional member of the Massachussets ANG and flies for Delta as a First Officer.
The previous record was held by four pilots from the 47th Fighter Squadron from Barksdale AFB, LA, in September 2005 with 15,400 hours. Lt Col. James "Jimbo" Macauley and Brady "Bozz" Glick from the 47th Fighter Squadron landed on September 1, 2005 after completing 4,000 flying hours each on the A-10A. The two became part of a very elite group of approximately 12 A-10 pilots in the entire Air Force to cross the 4,000 hours mark. They flew as part of a four-ship with Colonel Bob "Sauce" Tarter, 917th Wing Commander, and Lt Col. David "Birdog" Deaton, wing chief of safety, who had recently completed 4,000 hours in the A-10. Colonel Macauley completed his 2,500 sortie in the A-10 on that day.
Although Colonel Mott's name figures on top of the record book, he is sure it won't stay there for long. "Records are made to be broken, so it won't be too much longer until somebody breaks mine," said "Mottley". In fact, the 47th Fighter Squadron from Barksdale AFB, have already some intentions to get the four-ship most combine hours back to Louisiana!
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On June 13, 2008, the 47th Fighter Squadron from Barskdale AFB, LA, launched an historic flight of four A-10s to set new records. LtCols Brady Glick, James Macauley, Dave Deaton and Marc Olson totaled 17,742 flying hours and over 10,000 sorties in the A-10. Leading the flight was Lt Col Brady Glick who set a single all-time flying hours record in the A-10 with 4,666 flying hours and 2,495 sorties. Lt Col Macauley accumulated a career total of 4,551 flying hours and 2,560 sorties. Lt Col Deaton accumulated a total of 4,430 flying hours and 2,720 sorties and Lt Col Olson, 4,093 flying hours in 2,239 sorties.
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