JBER pilot reaches new heights

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  A Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson pilot reached 1,000 flying hours in an F-22 Raptor, at JBER, Alaska, June 22, 2016.

Air Force Lt. Col. Brandon Tellez, 525th Fighter Squadron commander and F-22 pilot, departed for his milestone flight at approximately 9:09 a.m. – and landed at 10:30 a.m.

Tellez has been a fighter pilot for 15 years, however, the achievement comes after nine years flying the F-22, he said.

Tellez is the 23rd pilot to reach 1,000 flying hours in a Raptor, said John Newsom, 3rd Wing F-22 contract site manager.

If taken consecutively, Tellez would have spent to more than 41 and-a-half days in the aircraft.

Completing 1,000 hours in a fighter jet is significant because it takes so long, Tellez said. Sorties in the fighter are typically one-to-two hours.

The sky was Air Force blue; an appropriate backdrop as the day’s events unfolded.

Tellez’s countenance was of a person overjoyed – having realized an achievement few others have been able to do.

“It’s a tremendous day to fly in Alaska,” Tellez said, after exiting his aircraft.

Tellez also recognized maintenance crews and others who have helped him reach this milestone.

“It marks a tremendous amount of effort to put me in this position,” Tellez said. “The opportunity to fly this jet as long as I have is a tremendous honor. It is a privilege every single day and a testament to all the hard work our maintenance puts in to give me the opportunity.”

Tellez was greeted by friends, coworkers, and the 525th FS mascot, following his flight.

A plaque and patch, only given to pilots who reach the 1,000-hour milestone, was presented in the 525th FS heritage room by representatives from Boeing and Lockheed-Martin.

“You’re never wrong to put yourself in a position where you have opportunity,” Tellez said, reflecting on the day’s accomplishment. “... It’s interesting to think, in the 1,000 hours I have put in the cockpit, there have been upwards of 10,000 [hours] of hard work [by others] to put that cockpit around me.”