43rd ECS Airman reaches 10,000 flight hours

  • Published
  • By Airman Saphfire D. Cook
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Senior Master Sgt. Timothy R. O'Donnell, 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron superintendent, logged his 10,000th hour of official Air Force flight on Aug. 3, 2010, in the skies over Southern Arizona.

Sergeant O'Donnell, a career enlisted aviator, entered the Air Force Reserves in August 1982 and then entered into active duty in October 1985. More than 1,100 of his flight hours occurred on combat missions.

"Even a bad day on an airplane is better than a good day at the office," Sergeant O'Donnell said.

Ten thousand hours equates to more than 400 days. Altogether, he has spent more than a year of his life airborne.

As Sergeant O'Donnell's EC-130 taxied down the ramp toward its parking spot, most of the 43rd ECS gathered on the flightline to watch as he taxied into the runway.

"He is a great, old, crusty flight engineer," said Maj. Dwayne R. Killebrew, 43rd ECS assistant director of operations. He added he was proud that such an accomplishment had come from his unit.

"This is a feat that you don't see very often," Major Killebrew said.

Sergeant O'Donnell has logged more flight hours than anyone else at Davis-Monthan, the runner-up coming in at 7,500 hours.

"I've never heard of this before," said Capt. Benjamin P. Moran, 43rd ECS executive officer.

And it's not just a major accomplishment on paper, but it's an illustration of what kind of an asset Sergeant O'Donnell is to his unit. Ten thousand hours on the job, in the air, represents a wealth of knowledge and experience, said Captain Moran.

As is normally the case, Sergeant O'Donnell's advancements in rank have translated into more administrative duties in the office. Captain Moran said, considering that, it's even more remarkable that Sergeant O'Donnell managed to reach this milestone.

Sergeant O'Donnell's love of flying began with his early Air Force career as a C-141 crew chief. Watching the pilots and engineers, he found his focus switching from the outside of the aircraft to the inside.

"As a crew chief, I realized blocking them in and putting gas in them was nice, but I wanted to do what those guys were doing," he said.

His Air Force career has taken him to all seven continents and 120-plus countries. He said the job was new and exciting every day and that is what has kept him flying for 26 years.

"The entire career as a whole has been really, really good," Sergeant O'Donnell said. "It's been a great experience. I can't complain about a single day of flying."

Captain Moran said the 43rd ECS has been on a continuous deployment rotation since 2004. At any given time, the squadron represents a large portion of the 600-plus servicemembers deployed from Davis-Monthan.