Crew Chief to hit 1000

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Melanie McLean
  • 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hi --  For an aviator, 1000 flight hours is noteworthy, however, being the first to achieve this with a young fleet of C-17s is milestone of its own. 

Staff Sgt. Paul Haigh, 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, is 12 hours shy of the 1,000 hour mark, which he intends to reach Wednesday or Thursday somewhere over the Pacific, on only Hickam C-17s. He will be the first of Hickam's aircrew, among pilots, maintenance crew chiefs and load masters. 

"I will either be in the air from here to Japan, Japan to Alaska, Alaska to Nevada or Nevada to here when I hit the mark," said Sergeant Haigh. 

He will be flying a Special Assignment Airlift Mission, also known as a SAAM, providing transport of equipment and personnel for the Navy when he reaches 1,000 hours, according to Master Sgt. David G. Gerboc, 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, C-17 Flying Crew Chief Manager. 

This is Sergeant Haigh's first tour as a flight crew chief. This crew chief's C-17 hours were flown on only Hickam's C-17s within the last 15 months, according to Master Sergeant Gerboc. This is significant since Hickam received its first C-17 in February 2006 and didn't complete the fleet until the end of summer that year. 

A few of the missions that brought him to this mark include: no-notice medical evacuation support missions; the Aero India 2007 air show in Bangalore, India;
two trips with the Missile Defense Agency for missile defense transport; eight Joint Pacific Accounting Command movements for repatriation of MIAs; six Indian Ocean Channel missions providing food and miscellaneous supplies to the area; three Operation Enduring Freedom missions and two Operation Iraqi Freedom; and two support missions for the First Lady and the Council on Environmental Quality's visit to Midway Atoll, naming the island a Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. 

The mission to Banglore, India and back totaled 18 days, including a supply mission to Iraq. One of the other OIF missions totaled 18 days as well, where he obtained 91 flight hours. 

"He literally has flown around the world," said Master Sergeant Gerboc. 

The 15th Airlift Wing does not have traditions in place yet for such achievements, since the airlift wing is about a year and a half old. One kudos is guaranteed by Boeing in the form of the "1,000 hours of safe flight" certificate, according to Master Sergeant Gerboc.