Frequent flyer: 334th FS pilot soars to 3K hours in F-15E

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shane Dunaway
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  For F-15E Strike Eagle aircrews at the 4th Fighter Wing, roaring through the skies is embedded into their lifestyle, but for Lt. Col. Scott Purdie, an F-15E pilot with the 334th Fighter Squadron, the clouds are almost like a second home.

On Jan. 18, Colonel Purdie hit the 3,000-hour mark in the F-15E, the fighter pilot equivalent to a major league baseball player reaching 3,000 hits, which has only been accomplished 27 times in MLB history.

According to Gerald Miller, a field service engineer who works for Boeing, Colonel Purdie is the 20th pilot to join the "3,000-hour club."

Colonel Purdie's flying career took off at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, where he took part in the pilot training course, flying more than 200 hours in the T-37 Tweet and T-38 Talon. He also flew the A-10 Thunderbolt for eight and a half years, logging more than 2400 hours, as well as more than 250 hours in the F-15S model designed for the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Currently, Colonel Purdie has been flying the F-15E for 15 years, including several stints with the 4th Fighter Wing.

"This is my third tour here at Seymour," Colonel Purdie said. "I was here for four years from 2002 to 2006 and a year from 1994 to 1995."

One quality Colonel Purdie attributes to his success of more than 24 years in the cockpit is his unwavering desire to fly.

"I feel so blessed to be able to have done what I have absolutely loved to do for so long," Colonel Purdie said. "For some strange reason, I have not lost the same love that I had for flying airplanes back when I was a lieutenant. It's just as much fun for me now at close to 48 years of age as it was when I was 23 and 24 years old."

Colonel Purdie has also had the love and support of his family throughout his 24-year adventure in the Air Force.

"I think the thing that makes me the most proud of him is he can relate to the younger pilots as an instructor, said Tracey Purdie, wife of Colonel Purdie. "I just love it when we're at a function and they come up and talk to him. I think they really admire him."

Having reached a significant milestone in his career, Colonel Purdie plans to continue passing down his knowledge and expertise to all the younger pilots while setting his sights on one last achievement.

"If I'm lucky, I'll be able to break 6,000 hours of total fighter time before I retire," Colonel Purdie said.