SALT LAKE CITY -- A Utah pilot who spent more than 35 years in the military is being honored for something no other army aviator has ever achieved.
Ken Jones, Chief Warrant Officer 5, has been flying since 1986 using his call sign “The Jedi.”
Jones is the only Army pilot in the world to reach more than 10,000 hours in an Apache, a dream he says he's been working for his whole life.
He is set to retire soon, but before taking his final Apache flight he told FOX 13 News he's not going to stop flying.
“I'm going to be flying emergency medical service helicopters, like an air ambulance, so I’ll be on a week and off work a week, so it's going to be a lot more relaxing of a pace but still very enjoyable, and I’ll be still contributing to help the people of our great state of Utah,” he said.
Jones served three tours of duty in Afghanistan and one tour in Kuwait, with a total of 2,270 hours of combat time.
His son, Jarod, will continue to fly in his unit.
