WEBVTT 00:20.389 --> 00:22.611 As the Marine Corps has stood up flying 00:22.611 --> 00:25.200 MU-9s , they've been heavily 00:25.200 --> 00:27.620 intertwined with the Air National Guard . 00:27.879 --> 00:30.101 Partnerships have definitely been built 00:30.101 --> 00:32.046 over the years as the Marine Corps 00:32.046 --> 00:34.101 stands up their MQ-9 program and and 00:34.101 --> 00:36.323 learning from those who have been there 00:36.323 --> 00:38.435 for a long time . They're standing up 00:38.435 --> 00:40.490 the schoolhouse for what will be the 00:40.490 --> 00:42.657 Marines IQT equivalent , uh , teaching 00:42.657 --> 00:44.657 Marine aviators , uh , pilots , and 00:44.657 --> 00:46.823 sensor operators how to fly the MQ-9 . 00:46.823 --> 00:49.990 A place to be able to send forward an 00:49.990 --> 00:52.101 aircraft as well as maintainers to be 00:52.101 --> 00:54.159 able to turn and operate birds , 00:54.470 --> 00:56.869 simulate overseas deployments . When 00:56.869 --> 00:58.925 you leave home station , you need to 00:58.925 --> 01:01.147 pack up all your maintainers . You need 01:01.147 --> 01:00.229 to pack up all your equipment . You 01:00.229 --> 01:02.470 need to be able to turn birds . Iowa 01:02.470 --> 01:04.581 became that place for them , built on 01:04.581 --> 01:07.349 that tight relationship that the guard 01:07.349 --> 01:09.405 writ large has been forming with the 01:09.405 --> 01:11.682 Marine Corps over these last few years . 01:11.682 --> 01:13.940 I'm a billeted . We of 6012 , which is 01:13.940 --> 01:16.162 a maintenance controller , so I control 01:16.162 --> 01:18.519 all the maintenance on all the aircraft , 01:18.610 --> 01:20.721 uh , both scheduled and unscheduled . 01:20.721 --> 01:22.721 If anything has to happen , it goes 01:22.721 --> 01:24.721 through me , my crew , uh , we have 01:24.721 --> 01:26.888 both mechs and techs out here and it's 01:26.888 --> 01:28.832 basically just making sure that we 01:28.832 --> 01:30.943 could fly the MQ-9 to the best of our 01:30.943 --> 01:33.277 abilities . Practice makes perfect . Uh , 01:33.277 --> 01:35.443 the Air Force has been flying the MQ-9 01:35.443 --> 01:37.666 for over two decades now , so they have 01:37.666 --> 01:37.059 a lot of experience that the Marine 01:37.059 --> 01:39.115 Corps doesn't have , um , and . That 01:39.115 --> 01:41.059 knowledge , that information , the 01:41.059 --> 01:42.726 skill sets that they have and 01:42.726 --> 01:44.837 incorporating it with what we do on a 01:44.837 --> 01:46.892 daily basis is vital in getting reps 01:46.892 --> 01:49.059 and sets on flying the plane , uh , we 01:49.059 --> 01:51.115 can transfer control in piloting the 01:51.115 --> 01:53.190 aircraft from one GCS or cockpit to 01:53.190 --> 01:55.389 another GCS or cockpit . We had marine 01:55.389 --> 01:57.489 aviators take off the plane out of 01:57.489 --> 01:59.711 Cherry Point , North Carolina , do some 01:59.711 --> 02:01.767 transit here . We transfer control , 02:01.767 --> 02:03.989 receive control of the plane to be able 02:03.989 --> 02:06.100 to bring it into our local airspace . 02:06.100 --> 02:08.156 Land it and then once it was here on 02:08.156 --> 02:10.267 station , our air crew in conjunction 02:10.267 --> 02:13.149 with marine air crew used our cockpits , 02:13.240 --> 02:15.759 our GCSs to fly their airplanes , so a 02:15.759 --> 02:18.720 really cool joint operation that we had 02:18.720 --> 02:20.887 here . This is our first time going to 02:20.887 --> 02:23.164 somewhere new within the United States . 02:23.164 --> 02:24.887 Getting additional support and 02:24.887 --> 02:26.887 additional places that we can go is 02:26.887 --> 02:28.831 always a key factor in our mission 02:28.831 --> 02:31.053 objective . It's been challenging , but 02:31.053 --> 02:31.020 it's been a welcome challenge .