U.S. Air Force trains Iraqis to fly C-130 cargo planes in combat zone

ALI AIR BASE, IRAQ

04.29.2005

Courtesy Story

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Sgt. David Foley
MNC-I PAO
April 26, 2005

ALI AIR BASE, Iraq -- As 2005 marks major shifts in the Coalition's role in Iraq, the Iraqi army is beginning to take care of their own, and one Air Force unit is making sure the new Iraqi army has competent counterparts in the skies.

The Department of Defense recently provided the new Iraqi air force with three American C-130 aircraft, and airmen from 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron out of Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., are in Talil, Iraq, training Iraqis to fly them.

The airmen, who were hand-picked from C-130 units across the country by Lt. Gen. William Welser, 18th Air Force commander, are working hand-in-hand with pilots and crewmembers who served in Saddam's air force before Operation Iraqi Freedom, teaching them the basics of operating the airborne workhorses.

"By the time the program is over, which we estimate to be May 2006, they will be a fully functional squadron," said Air Force Maj. Roger Redwood, operations flight commander, 23rd Advisory Support Team, 777th EAS. The 23rd AST is training the Iraqi air force's 23rd Squadron.

While many of the new recruits have ample flight experience, there is one major obstacle in training them to fly American aircraft.

"The hard part of our job is teaching them to fly this airplane when they can't speak basic English," Redwood said. "Most of the officers can communicate pretty well, but they have a hard time understanding the radio calls from air traffic control."

Redwood said the enlisted airmen barely speak any English at all, so they are constantly having the officers translate instructions in the aircraft, which only compounds things while training the troops.
"That's why it's taking the enlisted troops longer to qualify out," he said. "They know the airplanes. They know the systems.

They can do it all in Arabic, but we require them to do it in English, because if they are going to fly worldwide, they will need to be able to do it in English."

Normally, the 777th would train pilots from other countries at their base in Little Rock, Ark., but the DoD requires students to pass an English test prior to attending the course. The need for Iraqi pilots is so critical right now, there is no time to teach them the language before teaching them to fly, Redwood said.

By bringing the school to Iraq, the squadron is making military history.
"This is the first time the Air Force has had an advisory support team conducting training in a combat zone," said Air Force Master Sgt. John Spillane, 23rd AST chief loadmaster.

"This is one of the coolest things I've ever done. No one has ever done what we're doing."
The airmen all seem to agree working with the Iraqis is an inspiring experience.
"These guys are all true patriots. They want to help their country," Redwood said. "All of them were higher-ranking in the Saddam era, so they took a pay cut.

A lot of these guys were colonels and now they are majors. The guys coming in now are all captains, and they used to be majors and lieutenant colonels."

Even though they are taking a significant pay cut in the new Iraqi air force, money is the least of their worries.

One of the Iraqi pilots, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he lives in fear of the insurgency everyday because of what he is doing. He said none of his friends or neighbors know where he is while he is going through the training, and his wife and the wives of other pilots need to make up stories to explain their whereabouts.

"There is a threat for anyone who is trying to build this country at this time," he said.

The pilot added that the threats don't come from Iraqi citizens. They are people from other countries who want to make trouble in Iraq.

"I do not know why they do this," he said. "I just know they do."
The threat is so real, the pilots-in-training won't even ride the same taxi all the way home from the base, Redwood said.
"They will take one cab into the city, and take another one to their house so no one knows where they live," he said.

The airmen of the Iraqi air force's 23rd Squadron recently came face to face with what the insurgency is willing to do to try and stop the reconstruction of Iraq.

An Iraqi loadmaster's brother was killed because of his involvement with the new Iraqi Air Force. The loadmaster then took time off to move his brother's family into his house, and considered quitting the force, but his comrades supported him and convinced him to continue training.

Redwood said there have been several other incidents where insurgents have targeted family members of the airmen, and every time he wonders if they will come back to the training, but they always do.

Once the squadron is fully trained they will be able to support most of the Iraqi army's missions, but will need a few more airplanes to be completely self-sufficient, Redwood said.

"Three is not enough for such a big country," he said. "They will need a good six or eight in my opinion. If they had eight more airplanes, they would be able to support the Iraqi army easily."

Another problem Redwood pointed out is the need for younger pilots.

"The problem they are having right now is that these guys are all old. They need some new blood," he said. "A lot of these guys have been in the air force for 20 years or more. They are at retirement age, but they know that. They've told their ministry of defense, and they are handling it."

• Date Taken: 04.29.2005
• Date Posted: 04.29.2005 16:00
• Story ID: 1717
• Location: ALI AIR BASE, IQ