Air Combat Command officials restored an estimated $201 million to its flying hour program July 1 after receiving additional funds from Air Force headquarters.

Air Force officials approved the restoration which will help alleviate the loss of readiness resulting from the $272 million, 31,349-hour cut announced earlier this year, said Maj. Dean Gould, ACC flying hour program chief.

Air Force officials had approved the earlier cuts to meet budget shortfalls and help cover expenses incurred from the war on terrorism. Those cuts represented about 60 percent of the remaining planned flight hours for the year.

With the new funding, units are restoring their flying hours for July, August and September. The command is now targeting a stop-fly date of Sept. 26 for the fiscal year, officials said.

"Restoring ACC's flying hours for the next three months is a key readiness issue as we continue to provide forces for the war on terrorism," said Maj. Gen. Kenneth M. “Mike” DeCuir, ACC’s air and space operations director.

"With this additional funding, we are able to ensure we maintain combat readiness for all operations at home and abroad."

The reprogramming of funds back into the flying hour program brings the actual cuts for this fiscal year down to $100 million and equates to about 11,000 hours, Major Gould said. Those numbers are based on hours not flown May 15 to July 1.

Even though ACC recovered about 20,300 hours, the major said the refund is limited. If the cost per flying hour goes up, the result would be a decrease in the number of hours available for the remainder of this year. As such, command officials are continuing their efforts to maximize every available hour.

"Flexibility and patience will ensure we reach our training and budget goals," the major said. [ANN Salutes Senior Airman Amy Robinson, Air Combat Command Public Affairs]

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