KIRKUK, Iraq — The 52nd Expeditionary Flight Training Squadron's primary mission is to prepare new Iraqi Air Force pilots to provide security for the country of Iraq. Building and maintaining an Iraqi Air Force will enhance the ministry of defense's capability to support the Security Agreement with the United States..
The 52d EFTS training program provides a similar curriculum as U.S. undergraduate pilots but it is tailored to their aircraft and the needs of the Iraq Air Force. "Our graduates are the first instrument, all weather day and night qualified pilots straight out of pilot training in the history of the country of Iraq", stated U.S. Air Force Lt. Col, Nate Brauner, commander, 52nd EFTS.
The toughest part when building an air force is maintenance and logistics. The CAFTT advisor team is teaching the Iraqis techniques to manage maintenance and airfield operations. The King Air and the Caravan utilizes the same engine which streamlines the supply chain and the efficiency of the maintenance of the air craft. The Iraqis' have purchased multi-role aircraft that can do intelligence surveillance reconnaissance, light airlift, VIP transport, light ground attack, and training. The C208 Caravan can perform all these functions while reducing the supply chain. "We have six U.S. crew chiefs training the Iraqi's on how to maintain the aircraft. We mentor them on how to do first level maintenance and teach them how to recover and launch aircraft, instituted checklist propeller checks and utilize contracted logistics to maintain the air craft," said Brauner. The Iraqi's are performing their own flightline maintenance and the Iraqi's have 41 folks doing the maintenance job for the C-172 Skyhawk.
U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Gary Meacham, Superintendant of Maintenance 52d EFTS stated, "The crew chiefs are from C-130s, C-17s, F-16s, KC-135 and B1Bs we blended them together to become advisors and trainers for the Iraqi Air Force maintainers. They are involved in the management perspective and the health of the fleet." Brauner noted, "Our job is not to fly and fix aircraft, it is to teach them a western approach to do that."
The Iraqi Ari Force currently has 211 pilots and only 19 are under the age of 40. The generational gap between the young and older pilots is a hurdle the coalition Air Force Training Team is trying to overcome to help build a lasting and strategic relationship with the Iraqi Air Force. The pilots that are being trained today by 321 Air Expeditionary Wing, will be leading the Iraqi Air Force future," concluded Brauner.