Flight engineer from Travis surpasses 10,000 flying hours

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Senior Master Sgt. Sara Galvin, a flight engineer for the 9th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis, surpassed 10,000 flying hours July 27 during a refueling mission. 

The KC-10 Extender's flight departed Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and refueled a pair of B-52 Stratofortresses en route to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. 

"Senior Master Sgt. Galvin's milestone accomplishment of 10,000 flying hours is an incredible testament to her service to the United States Air Force," said Capt. Steve Campbell, 60th Operations Group Standardization and Evaluation. "This is a rare achievement for any flyer - we are very proud to have such an outstanding individual serving as an evaluator and as a role model for our Airmen here at Travis AFB." 

Approximately 40 people, including the newly arrived base commander, Col. James Vechery, greeted Sergeant Galvin upon her return to Travis. 

At 1 hour, 15 minutes into the flight, when the KC-10 was just west of Hawaii, Sergeant Galvin notched the statistical milestone. 

To put 10,000 hours into perspective, there are only 8,760 hours in a year, meaning the flight engineer has spent nearly 14 months of her life off the ground. 

In the months prior to the feat, Sergeant Galvin said those around her showed more exuberance as she honed in on the milestone. 

"In the build up to this, everyone was more excited than I was," she said. "I'd see people in the hall and they'd say, 'How many hours left until you get there?' ... I didn't think much of it." 

However, when the day came, Sergeant Galvin said she felt a special twinge of excitement, and when the 1:15:00 mark passed, she noted the GPS coordinates. 

The sergeant, who advises commanders on aircrew training, performance and readiness issues for Travis' three major weapon systems, said the achievement made her think back to her first flight. 

"The first time I got on a plane, it felt like my heart jumped out of my chest," she said. "Ten thousand hours later, it's still the same feeling. You can't beat it." 

Much has changed between that first flight in 1982 and the present. Sergeant Galvin began her career as a maintainer for B-52s and KC-135 Stratotankers at the now-closed Castle Air Force Base in 1982 near Merced, Calif. She was a crewmember on the first C-130 Hercules to land in Panama during Operation Just Cause. Other assignments sent her to Iraq, Somalia, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. 

When the KC-10 program launched in the 1990s, Sergeant Galvin crosstrained into her current career field, and said she's enjoyed it all. 

"I've loved every job since January 1982," she said. "I mean every job." 

In addition to her medals and other commendations, Sergeant Galvin, who's been stationed at Travis since 1994, was named the 9th Aerial Refueling Squadron's Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year in 2007 and its NCO of the year in 1996. 

In her more than 25 years in the service, Sergeant Galvin said things have changed a lot for women. 

"There was a culture change," she said. "Back when I started in maintenance in 1982, the guys would say, 'do you need me to carry your tool box for you?' But I threw it over my shoulder like the rest of them and ... showed them we can do the job." 

However, her eyes remain focused on future goals. By her own admission a devoted student, Sergeant Galvin is a few classes away from earning a master's degree in business administration. 

What now? Sergeant Galvin has her eyes set on notching the 12,500-hour mark. 

"I'll stay in the Air Force as long as they'll keep me," she said.