Why do pilots who are Colonels and above still maintain flying status by doing their required flying hours?

SSgt (Join to see), General Doolittle's raid on Tokyo is indeed what he is remembered for, as it was essentially a pubic statement made not only to the Empire of Japan, but also to the American people and the world at large. However, to ignore Doolittle's body of work after the raid, especially his decisions in Europe, is an error. He was a general officer at the time and that's also when he was flying combat missions.
SSgt (Join to see)

Thanks for including me Capt Charters. as some folks have mentioned, I think a high quality leader leads from the front. And some times the only way to have a clear sight picture of the operation is through participation. See what your subordinates are really doing, and endure the same struggles and stressors of the job. Also, in order to continue flying, they have to also undergo flight physicals and some type of in flight testing. From a nursing standpoint, some of my best nurse managers and flight commanders would routinely do shifts at the patients bedside. We all admired that as it demonstrated they cared about what we were doing.
Lastly, I think it greatly helps leadership make effective decisions. So many times leaders are sooooooo far removed from the "front lines" yet they make decisions regarding the actions of those in the trenches. And as a result of not having a clear understanding, those decisions aren't always the best for the workers or the organization as a whole.

I'll also add that your senior leaders (Wing and Group commanders) are your advocates up the chain for changes to the aircraft, resources for maintenance, training, changes to regulations or other training plans, changes to your aircraft's role in operational plans...do you want someone who has not flown the aircraft in years making decisions about what the new equipment should look like, what training we should add/change/cut, or what difficulties need to be addressed first?

I can read a book or report about flying the airplane, but that doesn't give me the experience of actually flying it.

Finally, and perhaps lowest down the list, since a good leader can make it happen regardless...we have a culture that there is "no rank in the jet", i.e., any crew member can be called out for anything, because if the junior captain co-pilot is afraid to tell the Col pilot that he's too low, he'll kill the entire crew. The days senior leaders fly is a chance for them to get feedback from the lower levels about policies, difficulties, issues, and so on. Feedback that would otherwise get filtered from the SQ/CC, the OG/CCE, and so forth. Feedback that they may not get in another setting.

That is another great example of leading from the front. Thanks for sharing LT.

Col Matthew Fritz, Thanks for taking the time on this question. I think there are many airmen in mission support roles that are asking this similar question. It's great to hear the perspective of a senior rated leader. With the many years of collective flying experience, I'm sure Colonels (and on up) can easily add to the collective knowledge on a flight deck. And I'm sure the younger wings have shown off a new few tricks as well. Overall, a great information sharing op.

It is also important for senior officers to stay relevant -- to understand the current flight operations -- and not get stuck in "the way it used to be" mentality.

And an important part of that is to get on the flightline and see what our maintenance and aviation mission support people do to generate air power.

I just wish the Colonels and Generals in charge of other mission areas also could "re-blue" themselves by doing what our great Airmen do in every mission area...I am sure there are great leaders who do so, but unfortunately it isn't so obvious when they do as when Colonels and Generals fly.