Keep in mind that the average intercept training mission was filed for 1+30 (an hour and a half from take off to touch down) So, how many flights did it take to collect 300 hours in an F-102?
For a guard guy, just doing weekends, and your two-week period in the summer...its gonna take a while to get 500 hours. If you are lucky...you might get two missions on a guard weekend (so figure 3 hours max). So a hundred weekends (two years) would barely get you up to 300 hours. And take into consideration...bad weather...aircraft down for maintenance...training time...paperwork requirements...and that 3-month period at Bama (no air time at all). It would have been at least two more years before young GW would have had the hours to take the assignment to Nam.
"War Hero" Kerry was in action for 4 months - 16-18 weeks. A mission a day? Doubtful.
Meatheads do not become fighter pilots. Bush is just humble, and was no saint back in the day, so doesn't advertise it.
F-102 has a very non-stellar safety record. I'm no Air Force historian, but I'll bet there were plenty of non-combat crashes in the US in this time period in that plane, especially as a percentage of total in service.
Diva's Husband