Twenty-One Month Training Mission Comes To A Close
"Iraqi air power starts here," are the words written above the
doorway of the Iraqi air force's Squadron 203, a T-6A Texan II
flight training squadron at Tikrit Air Base, Iraq. The words ring
true, in part, because of the efforts of the U.S. Air Force's 52nd
Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron, which flew its last Iraqi
training mission under the current security agreement with Squadron
203 Sept. 5. Eleven qualified Iraqi T-6 instructor pilots have
emerged from the joint program, creating organic pilot training
capabilities within the Iraqi air force.
"They are the foundation of the Iraqi air force pilot training,"
said Lt. Col. Andy Hamann, the 52nd EFTS commander.
Airmen from the 52nd EFTS have been working with the Iraqi air
force for the last 21 months in the T-6, conducting primary flight
training and instructor pilot training. The single-engine, two-seat
T-6 is used by more than six countries as a primary fixed wing
trainer, including the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. The squadron
received delivery of their first T-6 Dec. 16, 2009 and performed
their first mission two weeks later. A little more than one year
later, Iraqi air force Lt. Col. Hamid, the Iraqi Squadron 203
commander, became the first fully qualified instructor pilot for
Iraq.
It takes nearly 18-months and more than 280 flight and simulator
hours to produce an instructor pilot. Now, the squadron has 11
fully qualified instructor pilots ready to lead their air force by
teaching others. Starting with nothing, the Iraqi air force has
developed fully functional training shops ranging from training,
standardization and evaluation, safety, flight commanders and life
support. "They've really stepped up to the challenge of running
their own squadron," said Capt. Aaron Knight, an instructor pilot.
"They're shining examples of good pilots and good officers. I'm
extremely impressed with the maturity they have shown."
The flight standard that has been set is another aspect of the
mission the advisers said they have worked hard to maintain. "The
standard we've held here as we trained the Iraqis is the same
standard we use in our Air Force pilot training as well as the
instructor pilot training," Hamann said. "I'm confident they are
able to take this mission."
At the Iraqi air force T-6 instructor pilot graduation ceremony
held on Sept. 5, Hamann said, "I hope that in the skies around this
region and around the globe, our two air forces . . . and our
pilots will fly together in missions beyond the training missions
we are doing here; potentially humanitarian assistance missions and
peace keeping missions in cargo aircraft, coalition operations and
training exercises in fighter and mobility aircraft and as well as
other missions."
In addition to their mission advising, training and assisting
the Iraqi air force to grow foundational and enduring capabilities
in flight training, U.S. Airmen have established enduring
professional and personal relationships. with their Iraqi
counterparts. "What I'm most proud of are the relationships this
squadron has built together," Hamann said. "We've had more than 50
individuals come through the 52nd EFTS over the last two years to
train the Iraqis. The camaraderie on the flightline, in the
briefing rooms and in the life support areas is really strong."
Ten more students are in the training pipeline now, and possibly
15 to 20 more will be by the end of the year, officials said. The
goal is to eventually have 30 instructor pilots, two for every T-6
aircraft in the inventory. "I've had a good experience working with
the 52nd training squadron and learning from the expert American
pilots," said Iraqi air force Abood, one of the first certified
Iraqi instructor pilots. "(Now) I will try to transfer what I've
learned to the new Iraqi training pilots. We will always keep the
bar up. Our goal is to help build a strong air force and I think
the beginnings of that will happen at Squadron 203."
ANN Salutes Staff Sgt. Mike Meares 321st Air Expeditionary Wing
and U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs