Exchange Pilot Assignment Strengthens Australia, U.S. Ties
- From: Otis Willie <thewarlibrary@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2006 01:46:06 GMT
Exchange Pilot Assignment Strengthens Australia, U.S. Ties
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2006/20060403_4691.html
{EXCERPT} By Shadi May Special to American Forces Press Service
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash., April 3, 2006 - Foreign exchange
pilots from Australia assigned here are helping their U.S.
counterparts carry out global air refueling, airlift and humanitarian
assignments.
The exchange program selects the best pilots in the Royal Australian
Air Force with a minimum of 1,500 flying hours. Although instructional
experience is not essential, it is a highly desirable factor to be
selected for the three-year program, officials said.
"They are sending us their best qualified pilots," said Air Force Maj.
Dennis Bernier, 93rd Air Refueling Squadron assistant director of
operations. "They are all outstanding pilots and huge assets to the
squadron."
"This is one of the most prestigious jobs in our careers -- the
location, role and the opportunity to work with the U.S. Air Force,"
said Flight Lt. Trevor Wright, one of the two Australian exchange
pilots assigned to the 93rd ARS. "For a small air force like ours,
there are limited opportunities for us to do this type of assignment.
It expands our career opportunities back home."
The RAAF rank of flight lieutenant is equivalent to the U.S. Air Force
rank of captain.
Wright has more than 4,500 flying hours in the C-130 and a C-12
equivalent in his 13-year RAAF career. As a newly arrived pilot at
Fairchild, he said he looks forward to the experience in the tanker
because once back home, he will be involved with a tanker project for
a new aircraft acquisition, the replacement to their current Boeing
707 refueler.
"My KC-135 aircraft commander training at Altus (Air Force Base,
Okla.) was hard workload, hard pressure and hard operations tempo,"
Wright said. "The training at Altus gives you the tools on how to take
off and land the aircraft safely -- a license to learn. But here at
Fairchild, I am learning to develop my skills, techniques and traits
in an operational setting."
While flying in Australia and other parts of the world, foreign pilots
abide by International Civil Aviation Organization rules. While
assigned in the United States, they must learn and practice Federal
Aviation Administration rules, which is one of the challenges with
this assignment.
"Learning about the FAA rules is a challenge because it involves a lot
of studying since it's not second nature to us," Wright said. "And
language is also a bit challenging. Although we speak the same
language, phraseology is subtly different. Some words can mean quite
different things in aviation terminology."
But the flying experience will make the hard work worthwhile, Wright
explained. "The KC-135 is a pilot's airplane to fly. The technology
forces you to hand fly the airplane, which is great for a pilot."
While supporting this squadron's mission, Wright said, hopes to
achieve one of his dreams -- to refuel a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.
"It is one aircraft I particularly look forward to refueling because
it's the state-of-the-art technology."
Flight Lt. Craig Chaseling, who has been at Fairchild for more than
two years, said he believes the new flight lieutenant should be able
to refuel just about everything while on this assignment. "I have
refueled nearly every type of aircraft but the F-22 and the F-117,"
Chaseling said. "I would really like to get a chance to refuel those
because they are the cutting edge of the aviation technology."
A C-130 pilot, as well as a PC-9 (a T-6 U.S. trainer equivalent)
pilot, Chaseling brings more than 4,200 flying hours and instructional
experience in his 12-year career to his U.S. counterparts.
"Professionally, it's been an incredible operational experience for
me. And personally, my family and I have enjoyed our living experience
in the United States. I have learned to ski, and we have done a lot of
traveling," Chaseling said.
But the assignment has not been without challenges. "Command and
control structure and rules and regulations are somewhat different
here, so it's been a challenge to adjust," he said.
"The end results are the same, but how the goals are achieved is
different. Also, every time we need to deploy, there is a very strict
protocol for the United States to put in a request with the Australian
government to approve our participation. We cannot deploy to all the
locations the U.S. forces deploy."
Since his arrival, Chaseling has upgraded to instructor pilot and now
holds the position of the squadron's chief of training. "Because of
their hours and experience, they upgrade to instructor pilot fairly
quickly," Bernier said. "They have also taken on additional duties and
do everything we do and more.
"These are highly qualified individuals, exceptional in every way and
very dedicated to doing a good job while here, and it shows," Bernier
said.
The hard work and dedication has paid off for Chaseling. He was
selected as the squadron's instructor pilot of the quarter.
He said his most memorable mission was supporting the Space Shuttle
Discovery STS-114 mission. "Last August, we flew a KC-135 as the
pathfinder aircraft ahead of the Boeing 747 shuttle carrier from
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., with a
few stops on the way.
"This was the first time a KC-135 had been a pathfinder aircraft for
NASA," he said. "This particular mission included the Australian
astronaut, Andrew Thomas, so it was quite the experience of a life
time."
Both pilots agree that this assignment is a great opportunity and a
two-way street for both governments to build closer ties and share new
ideas and techniques while working as allied nations.
"Flying with the Australian pilots on a day-to-day basis has really
given us a great opportunity to exchange ideas on how we operate,"
U.S. Air Force Maj. Landon Walker, 93rd ARS chief of standardization
and evaluation, said.
"The Aussies look at what we do from a totally different viewpoint,"
he said. "They give us a fresh perspective about how we do business."
(Shadi May is assigned to the 92nd Air Refueling Wing.)
Related Site:
Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. [
http://public.fairchild.amc.af.mil/
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK, the
official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2006/20060403_4691.html
-- Otis Willie (Ret.)
Military News and Information Editor (http://www.13105320634.com)
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