Event Held At McConnell Air Force Base

McConnell Air Force Base hosted its fifth KC-46 Pegasus Maintenance Training Summit to define training timelines and expected progression based on aircraft delivery. The summit outlined when to train maintainers, crews and the entire KC-46 community. It also addressed how the Air Force is going to cross-train current KC-135 Stratotanker maintainers to the new KC-46.

“The 22nd Maintenance Group created a KC-46 training timeline that was used as a baseline for the KC-46 enterprise,” said Master Sgt. Ian Evans, 22nd MXG KC-46 transition team superintendent. “This timeline will be adopted by Air Mobility Command as the way forward.”

The main focuses of the summit were the emerging KC-46 training requirements that come with the new platform scheduled to arrive in October. “Based on the training we have done over the last couple of years with Boeing, our maintainers are posturing and ready for the aircraft to touch down,” Evans said. “Our initial cadre will be executing the beddown plan for the KC-46 and they will train everyone else.”

The summit included Airmen from Pease, Tinker and Altus Air Force Bases as well as members from AMC, Air Education and Training Command and the Air National Guard. “We had about 45 key members in attendance,” said Master Sgt. Edward Musterer, 22nd MXG KC-46 transition office flight chief. “We started with a clean slate and adopted new ideas and concepts to make this transition as smooth and seamless as possible.”

A couple of months after aircraft arrival, the summit will reconvene and reevaluate their master training plan going forward. “After we implement the aircraft and go through the initial phases of training, we’re going to readjust our training and technical school curriculum,” Evans said. “We have to bring everyone involved in the planning and work through whatever problems we may find. This will help the next base receiving the aircraft stand up their units faster.”

McConnell hosted the first training summit in November 2016, where they laid out a plan to approach the KC-46 as an enterprise team. “The first main operating base and AETC have worked together to standardize the training approach across the board and ensure all training requirements were met,” Musterer said. “This is another step closer in increasing our readiness in preparation to accept the aircraft.”

(Image provided with USAF news release)

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