2,000 Hours in the Sky: B-2 Spirit Bomber Pilot Reached Major Milestone
Summary and Key Points: Lt. Col. Justin Meyer, the commander of the 110th Bomb Squadron, became the first U.S. Air Force pilot to surpass 2,000 flight hours in the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber during a flight on June 6, 2024.
-The 110th Bomb Squadron, part of the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Bomb Wing, is the sole operator of the B-2 and holds a unique place in military aviation history.
-Each B-2 pilot undergoes rigorous Initial Qualification Training at Whiteman AFB, where they earn a "Spirit Number" after their first flight, a tradition that traces back to the F-117 Nighthawk program
Breaking Records: U.S. Air Force Pilot Flies 2,000 Hours in B-2 Bomber
The United States Air Force currently operates just nineteen Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers. As a result, there have been a fairly limited number of pilots who have climbed into the cockpit. Yet, in June, one aviator reached a major milestone – becoming the first person to surpass 2,000 flight hours at the controls.
During a flight on June 6, 2024, 110th Bomb Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Justin Meyer took off from Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, and during the flight became the first Air Force pilot to reach the significant milestone.
"It's truly an honor to be the first Air Force pilot to hit 2,000 hours in the B-2. I've really just focused my career on being a resident expert and chasing excellence, which led me to Weapons school and eventually the 110th Bomb Squadron, one of two combat bomb squadrons at Whiteman AFB. I've had so many incredible opportunities along the way which I have felt incredibly grateful and blessed to have experienced," Meyer said in a Facebook post earlier this week.
Meyer assumed command of the 110th Bomb Squadron on June 2, 2023.
The B-2 Spirit Operators: Lindbergh's Own
The 110th Bomb Squadron (110 BS) is a component of the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Bomb Wing, which is the only ANG Bomb Wing certified for nuclear operations. The BW achieved full operational capability in August 2013.
The 110th BS, which remains the sole operator of the B-2 Spirit, is also the oldest unit of the Missouri Air National Guard, being first established as the 110th Aero Squadron in August 1917, before being reformed in June 1923 as the 110th Observation Squadron. One of the unit's members in the 1920s was Charles Lindbergh, and since the 1960s the 110th has been known as "Lindberg's Own."
Spirit Bomber Numbers
Today, each B-2 Spirit pilot must go through a complex training program that begins with Initial Qualification Training (IQT) at Whiteman AFB, where they "learn how to fly the most technologically advanced strategic bomber in the world," the Air Force Global Strike Command explained in a 2022 post. "Once the IQT students have gone through hundreds of hours of academics and training in the B-2 simulators, they can finally put their skills to the test and take off for their first flight. Following their first flight, each pilot receives a Spirit Number, which cements their place in history."
The tradition of assigning the number – which is only given to those who have flown the B-2 bomber – actually originated with the F-117 Nighthawk, the first stealth aircraft to see service with the U.S. Air Force. Those aviators were awarded a Bandit Number, and the tradition now continues with the B-2.
"Each program realized there would be a minimal number of assigned pilots and sensed a need to catalog that history and legacy," explained former B-2 pilot Frank Cavuoti, Spirit Number 78.
"These are one-of-a-kind numbers, like a numerical fingerprint that are unique and will only be assigned once and never reused," added Cavuoti, who as of 2022 served as a B-2 senior program analyst.
In addition, as of June 2022, only 550 B-2 pilots had been assigned a Spirit Number, making Meyer's feat of reaching 2,000 flight hours all the more notable.
More Than Pilots Can Receive a Spirit Number
Yet, it should be noted too that nearly 800 individuals have received a Spirit Number, as others who have been given a chance to fly in the aircraft are also awarded the honor – and that has included senior military leaders, cabinet-level secretaries, members of Congress, and also award-winning enlisted military members.
One such individual deemed worthy was Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Lambert, 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. She received an incentive flight in the Spirit and became Spirit Number 760 after being awarded the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Thomas N. Barnes Award, and 509 Bomb Wing Crew Chief of the Year.
Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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