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KABUL, Afghanistan –The Afghan Air Force, with NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan support, reached 2,000 hours of flight time in the C-27A Spartan aircraft during a passenger transport mission from Kabul to the Kandahar Feb. 10.
Afghan Air Force and NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan personnel reached the landmark while transporting more than 30 Afghan National Army service members from Kabul to Kandahar, all the while gaining experience flying based solely off of aircraft instrumentation due weather conditions.
“Each of these milestones is an important step in the C-27’s path to replacing the Antonov-32 as the main transport aircraft of the Afghan Air Force, and the centerpiece of this force,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Larry Needham, a C-27 advisor with the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron.
Yet not only significant in marking the C-27’s ascension in Afghan Air Force, the 2,000 hour mark is a measure of pilot training and development.
“Over time, as we have flown more and more, we have become better pilots and have been able to learn instrument flying,” said Afghan Air Force Maj. Wali Bagrammid, a pilot on the flight.
“During the time spent in air, we have been able to observe and improve our methods of training,” said Needham. “Because of the time spent in this aircraft, we have been able to learn how to advise and these Afghan pilots have learned how to fly. We now have a better understanding of the not only the aircraft’s capabilities, but the capabilities of the pilots themselves.
“Based on where these pilots are at this point in time, a day where the Afghan Air Force can fly and service these aircrafts without coalition support is foreseeable. Ultimately, the goal is independence,” he said.
Though a significant achievement in the developing the Afghan Air Force, the pilots who made the milestone-reaching flight were unaware of the milestone before landing.
“We we not aware of the circumstances,” said Bagrammid. “We were just doing our jobs.”
The C-27A is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft with short take-off and landing capability. The Spartan is well suited for Afghanistan's mountainous terrain and limited road network. A C-27 can carry up to 20,000 (9,072 kilograms) pounds of cargo and fuel and operate on unimproved airfields as short as 3,000 feet, which allows access to airstrips unreachable by most fixed-wing aircraft.
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2011 23:43 |
| Story ID: | 65346 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 159 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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