100,000 Flying Hours and Counting
28 January 2008 saw another significant milestone in the Gripen programme, when the Gripen fleet soared past the historic 100,000 flying hour mark.
(January 30, 2008) -- With Saab test pilot Mats Thorbiornson and South African Air Force (SAAF) Colonel Mike Edwards at the controls, South Africa's second Gripen fighter (SA02) made history when during a scheduled flight test sortie, it passed the cumulative 100,000 flying hour mark for the Gripen fleet of new generation fighters.
Since the maiden flight of Gripen, the Saab Test team have kept a record of every flight hour logged during Gripen's development programme at Saab, and also all the in-service hours logged by the Swedish Air Force and Gripen's export customers Hungary, the Czech Republic, the UK's Empire Test Pilots' School and South Africa.
So it was that at 09.15 on 28 January 2008, a Gripen D (two-seat) fighter in South African Air Force markings, took to the skies over Saab in Linkoping, Sweden to takes its place in the ongoing Gripen story.
After a one and a half hour flight, which included a 10 minute hot re-fuelling short turn around and take-off, Mats Thorbiornson and Mike Edwards were delighted with the success of the sortie, and recognized the significance of reaching the 100,000 milestone.
Thorbiornson commented "I'm feeling very proud today and I think everybody at Saab should be feeling proud today - this a great milestone for the Gripen programme. We are still very busy developing Gripen and it feels very good"
Col. Mike Edwards, from the SAAF Gripen Project Team, who was also the 1,000th member of the Gripen Order of pilots who have flown the Gripen, said "Yes, we were very fortunate that the 100,000th flying hour was flown in a South African Gripen fighter. I was very honoured to participate in this 100,000th hour flight but of course the honour and the tribute should go to all the pilots from the Gripen Order that have contributed to the hours flown"
2008 sees the delivery into service of South Africa's first Gripen fighters and Mike Edwards was happy with the way the South African flight test programme has been progressing. "The South Africa flight test programme has proceeded very well. The aircraft serviceability has been astounding and the test programme has largely been on schedule. The SAAF is eagerly anticipating the arrival of Gripen there has been some changes made in the SAAF environment in preparation to accepting the first Gripen, which will be arriving in March this year".
During the scheduled sortie, Gripen SA02 performed a hot re-fuelling short turn around. Commenting on the Gripen's short turn around capability, Mats Thorbiornson emphasized once again the operational benefits the Gripen offers. "It's one of the fantastic features of the Gripen. We can actually perform a hot re-fuelling, with the engine running and with the minimum of ground crew, and get airborne again in under ten minutes. Gripen is designed to meet these operational requirements, including the ability to change an engine less than one hour".
Source : Gripen International
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