Israeli Air Force veteran surpasses record 1,000 flight hours amid Gaza war

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is known for its world-class pilots. While most Israeli pilots tend to retire at a comparatively young age, 56-year-old IAF pilot Lt-Col. S. is still active and recently surpassed a record 1,000 flight hours since the Hamas terror group initiated war with Israel on Oct. 7.

Pilot S., whose name is classified due to security reasons, serves in the IAF's 100th Intelligence Squadron, also known as the "Flying Camel." He has been airborne every week since Oct. 7, providing crucial real-time intelligence to the Israeli army’s ground forces in the Gaza Strip. This intelligence has played a critical role in minimizing the number of Gazan civilian casualties, as well as IDF casualties amid battles with Hamas terrorists using civilians as human shields.

S. found out about the Oct. 7 attack while he was on vacation with his family in Thailand. He quickly returned home and immediately joined IAF operations in the skies above Gaza.

"But at 4:00 in the morning, between Saturday and Sunday, I landed in Israel, and by 11:00, I was already flying over Gaza. It wasn't easy leaving the kids and my partner abroad," S. recalled.

The Air Force veteran emphasized that he is very motivated to help the Israel Defense Forces on the ground and the hostages in Gaza.

"I feel like I have to be in the air because we have soldiers on the ground who need us and hostages who haven't returned yet," S. said.

While technically too old to serve, as Israeli Air Force pilots retire at age 51, S. said that he is physically still fit for airborne missions.

"There are limitations on pilots, but at the peak of tension and for the benefit of the fighters on the ground, they stopped arguing with me. I explained that I know my body well enough to know I'm fit to fly again. The issue of the hostages doesn't let up on me."

Focused on his missions, S. confessed that he was initially unaware of having broken the Israeli Air Force flight hour record.

"I didn't track my flight hours; they told me about it when I landed after the flight that crossed the 1,000-hour mark in the war. For me, it's just a number, and it's hard to compare it to previous, shorter wars," S. said.

The IAF's vast operational experience has been instrumental in establishing it as one of the world's foremost and most combat-ready air forces.

The ongoing Iranian-led multifront war against Israelhas elevated the IAF to become one of the world’s most operationally active air forces. Its fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets have been pivotal in maintaining Israel's aerial superiority over its adversaries in regions including Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and beyond.

In March, Major R. who serves in the F-35 140th Squadron (Adir in Hebrew), recalled how he participated in a historic mission when Israeli F-35 fighter jets intercepted a cruise missile – reportedly the first time in history that an F-35 fighter jet eliminated a hostile cruise missile.

“I saw the cruise missile in broad daylight through the Adir’s camera, at a relatively,” Major R. said. “My partner in the cockpit was the one who spotted the target. I executed the airstrike with a missile I launched at it. I was thrilled in the cockpit after the successful hit.”

Earlier in April, the Iranian regime launched over 300 missiles and drones into Israel in one of the largest aerial attacks in modern military history.

IAF pilots, Israel’s aerial defense systems, American forces and other allies successfully neutralized approximately 99% of the incoming projectiles.