MISSED THE MARK

  • Published
  • By John Willgohs
  • Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Boy was I excited to read about my friend in the Summer 2012 issue of Torch when I read the headline "Everything I Know about Flying: Air Force's Oldest Instructor Pilot Gives His Perspective."

Then I flipped back to page 20 only to think to myself, "Who is this guy?"

The Air Force's actual oldest instructor pilot is Lt. Col. James A. Routt from the 550th Special Operations Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.. He will be 65 in October (Lt. Col. Gordon P. Kimpel, who was featured in the article, is only 59).

Routt began his career in 1970, and his first combat aircraft was the B-52. Since then he has amassed more than 7,000 hours, 2,050 instructor hours, 288 evaluator hours and 1,500 hours of NVG time in the B-52, WC-130, HC-130P and MC-130P. He retired in 1996 but came back as part of the rated officer recall program. Routt earned the United Kingdom's Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators Air Master Certificate, an honor he shares with only two other Americans -- Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger and Neil Armstrong.

He is currently on terminal leave, but that means he is not technically retired yet. Additionally, since the article printed in the summer issue, that means you were working on the article in the spring -- the same time Routt was serving a combat tour in Afghanistan with the 71st Expeditionary Rescue Squadron.

You guys do good work, but you missed the mark this time.

You are correct. The Air Force Personnel Center verified that Colonel Routt was indeed the oldest instructor pilot at the time the summer issue was printed. Thank you for setting the record straight.