[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 13, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, AIRMAN EXCEEDS 10,000 FLIGHT HOURS

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                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 13, 2008

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, Air Force SMSgt Robert Fisher of 
St. Petersburg, Florida, achieved a milestone on March 29 when he 
surpassed his 10,000 flight hour.
  Sergeant Fisher is a flight engineer with the 380th Air Expeditionary 
Wing's 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at McGuire Air Force 
Base, New Jersey. He achieved this milestone while flying a KC-10 
Extender mission.
  Madam Speaker, following my remarks I will include for my colleagues 
a story from The Pinellas News, one of Sergeant Fisher's hometown 
newspapers, about this great achievement and about his dedicated 
service to our Nation in uniform.
  Sergeant Fisher enlisted in the Air Force in 1981 and has been flying 
tanker aircraft since 1986. He has served in Operations Desert Storm, 
Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
  LTC Tim White, the commanding officer of the 908th Squadron, paid 
Sergeant Fisher the highest compliment when he said, ``For Sergeant 
Fisher to eclipse 10,000 hours is a reflection of great dedication to 
the mission and the art of flying. Sergeant Fisher is one of the 
greatest assets in the KC-10 community, and his work ethic speaks for 
itself.''
  Madam Speaker, please join me in commending Sergeant Fisher for this 
great flying achievement and in thanking him for his service to our 
Nation and to the cause of freedom throughout the world.

                [From the Pinellas News, Apr. 25, 2008]

                          10,000 Flight Hours

      (By Sr. Armn. Ross M. Tweten, American Forces Press Service)

       Southwest Asia.--A flight engineer with the 380th Air 
     Expeditionary Wing's 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling 
     Squadron surpassed 10,000 flight hours during a KC-10 
     Extender mission on March 29. Senior Master Sgt. Robert 
     Fisher, a St. Petersburg native home-stationed at McGuire Air 
     Force Base, N.J., ended his landmark flight with 10,003 
     flight hours.
       ``The most difficult part about achieving this milestone is 
     just being around long enough to do it,'' he said with a 
     chuckle. -``It feels excellent to be among such a rarified 
     group of people.''
       The 10,000-flight-hour community is small, and achieving 
     this milestone is all about longevity, he said.
       Fisher has been flying the line since 1986. He has been in 
     the air as a flight engineer on the C-141 Starlifter and the 
     KC-10 Extender, and has served in operations Desert Storm, 
     Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
       ``When I first came into the Air Force, there were a lot of 
     10,000-hour crew members around, and I thought, ``Wow, I'd 
     like to do that,'' Fisher said. ``But as the years went by, I 
     felt like I'd never get there because, well, our airplanes 
     fly much faster. So I figured 5,000 would be nice. Then, 
     after I reached that, I figured I could probably do about 
     7,500.''
       Fisher continued to exceed his goals and reset them. ``So 
     when I passed 8,500, it finally hit me that I was really 
     close to my goal of 10,000, and that maybe I could do this, 
     so here I am.''
       Lt. Col. Tim White, who commands the 908th, said most 
     flyers accumulate 3,000 to 5,000 hours in the span of a 
     career.
       ``For Sgt. Fisher to eclipse 10,000 hours is a reflection 
     of great dedication to the mission and the art of flying,'' 
     he said. ``If one were to fly around the world for 10,000 
     hours, he or she would circle the planet over 300 times, or 
     go back and forth to the moon nine times. Sgt. Fisher is one 
     of the greatest assets in the KC-10 community, and his work 
     ethic speaks for itself.''
       Fisher has had a long bird's-eye view of much of the globe, 
     and he gives most of that credit to the Air Force.
       ``I've been really lucky in my life, in that the Air Force 
     has given me the opportunities to see a lot of really 
     excellent places and travel the world,'' he said. ``When I 
     enlisted in '81, the recruiter said, `Hey, join the Air 
     Force, see the world,' and the Air Force has kept up its end 
     of the bargain on that one.''
       ``I'd like to say that I've given the Air Force all these 
     wonderful things,'' he continued, ``but to be honest, the Air 
     Force has given Bob Fisher way more than Bob Fisher has given 
     the Air Force.''




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