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380AEW Article

C-17 pilot reaches 10,000 flight hours

  • Published
  • By Capt. Anthony Santosus
  • 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  On Oct. 20, in the late afternoon heat of Southern Afghanistan, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Stephen Clements and his C-17 Globemaster III crew set off on a milestone flight. Clements logged his 10,000 hours behind the controls of a military aircraft while assisting United States military forces with their drawdown from Afghanistan by redeploying U.S. Army IAV Strykers through one of the area of responsibilities multi-modal hubs.

"I am very fortunate to have reached ten thousand hours while serving my country and flying in the military," said Clements "I never thought I would reach this number of hours and I am very glad the United States Air Force Reserve gave me the opportunity to obtain this amazing milestone."

Clements flew two-thirds of his flight hours after the attacks on Sept. 11 and has flown with the 405th Air Expeditionary Group in support of multi-modal operations in and out of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is a landlocked and mountainous country; moving cargo out of the country presents many logistical challenges. According to United States Transportation Command Public Affairs, the United States relies on multi-modal methods to move cargo as air routes are shorter, more sorties can be flown and aircraft can carry heavier loads each day.

According to the USTRANSCOM 2011 Annual Report, "employing the combination of air, land, and sea modes of transportation resulted in increased velocity, better utilization of aircraft, and ultimately reduced costs."

As a reservist, Clements is assigned to the 313th Airlift Squadron, a C-17 reserve unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where he has been assigned since 2000. He began flying in 1991 attending pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base. Through his career he has had the opportunity to fly the C-141 and later the C-17. In 2001, he began flying for American Airlines but was furloughed after the events of Sept. 11. Since then, Clements has logged nearly 2,000 hours of combat time in just under 500 sorties.

Clements is set to retire from the Air Force in January 2014 and will go back to American Airlines as a First Officer.

"I have fun and enjoy flying - it's a great job, the best thing in the world actually," said Clements. "It's an amazing job that I get to do every day."

(Lt. Col. John Rozsnyai and Staff Sgt. Ashley Long contributed to this story)