Face of Defense: Pilot Helps Iraqis Earn Wings

By Air Force Airman 1st Class Nathan Maysonet

47th Flying Training Wing

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, Sept. 11, 2012 – Mounted aboard an armored SUV with a pistol at his side, an 85th Flying Training Squadron pilot based here begins his days in Iraq checking in on classes miles apart, filled with students not unlike those he left in Texas thousands of miles from home.

Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Lachance is one of a handful of American airmen working to ensure that Iraqi Air force units at Al Sahra Airfield in Tikrit are getting the level of training they need to protect their skies.

"I look at the big picture of the Iraqi training mission from here to see if they are being taught and properly engaged by the American contractors and Iraqi instructor pilots," Lachance said. "I make sure Iraq is getting what it pays for."

The training, which originally was operated by the United States, now is in the hands of contractors and Iraqi airmen. Now, just three U.S. airmen advise the more than 800 civilian contracted instructors and fresh Iraqi airmen. They are tasked with training the growing population of Iraqi students set to become their nation's future maintainers, pilots and air traffic controllers.

"If you were to squish Randolph, Keesler and Laughlin [Air Force bases] together, you'd get a picture of what our base here is like," Lachance said.

Lachance, who has served in Iraq for the last three months, acts as the security assistance lead in Tikrit for the U.S. Embassy Office of Security Cooperation Iraq. He helps to advise Iraqi squadron commanders on the finer points of pilot training.

"We are teaching them to be a lot like Laughlin," Lachance said. "A pilot here or at Laughlin would recognize the training."

Much like Laughlin's specialized undergraduate pilot training, the pilots training in Iraq begin from scratch. They learn the basics of aviation, following a syllabus similar to that used at Laughlin, Lachance said. But there are some differences, he added.

"We in the U.S. Air Force are selected for a specialty and then train to perform that job," he said. "Because the Iraqi air force is so small, they each have to do so much more, and it can be a distraction."

It's not uncommon for Iraqi officers and enlisted service members alike to work all night and show up the next day in class with little sleep, Lachance explained. Other differences can be found in the schedule and in the resources available to the Iraqis for training. Due to limited fuel, only 10 to 15 sorties take place per day, in comparison to the more than 250 flights at Laughlin's airfield, the busiest in the U.S. Air Force.

Additionally, the T-6 Texan II trainer, which is used by both countries as a key part in training, serves different roles to each, Lachance said. At Laughlin and at all U.S. pilot training bases, the T-6 is flown for several months before the student is sent to either the T-38 for fighter training or T-1 for tanker and airlift training. In Iraq, though, the T-6 is used as a replacement for the T-38 portion of training.

Cultural differences also play a part in what Lachance and his co-workers deal with daily. Things in Iraq are slower-paced, he said, with decisions being made after both parties slowly get to know each other.

"We want to get it done now, but they like to move slowly," he said. "Following that pace has led to a good partnership that will give us friends for life."

Regardless of the difficulties, Lachance said, he has high hopes for the future and is thankful for his experiences as an instructor pilot here, which have helped him prepare for his time in Iraq.

"I've seen the best and worst of pilots. Being with first-assignment instructor pilots at Laughlin has helped me, because in Iraq, they are all first-assignment instructor pilots starting something new," he said. "There is no animosity towards us. They want to rebuild as our partner and friend. Things are going well. And although there are bumps in the road, no one is giving up."

Face of Defense: Airman Controls Air Force’s Busiest Airfield

By Air Force Senior Airman Scott Saldukas
47th Flying Training Wing

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, Feb. 22, 2012 – Like most other boys, Air Force Staff Sgt. John Hammer dreamed of growing up and being a professional football star. Instead, the 30-year-old husband and father of three is a senior watch supervisor at the Air Force’s busiest airfield.

Before joining the Air Force in 2005, Hammer lived and grew up in Knob Noster, Mo., where he held a full-time job and was enrolled as a full-time student.

"Before coming in, I was working concrete construction full time while going to school at a community college full time," he said. "It was tough. It was hard to make ends meet and concentrate on education."

Hammer thought about joining the Air Force for nearly two years, he said, before finally deciding to cross into the blue.

"Initially, I just wanted a stable career and the possibilities to further my education," he said. "I was looking to get into computer security, [heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems] or something I could think of at that point which would benefit me outside the Air Force."

That all changed when someone in the Delayed Enlistment Program got cold feet and dropped out, which opened an air traffic controller slot, causing Hammer to leave for basic training sooner than he had anticipated.

"My recruiter said, 'John, if you take air traffic control, you can be out of here in a few weeks,'" Hammer said. "At that point, I was outside pouring concrete in hundred-plus-degree weather. That's when I told him I would love to leave."

Freed from the monotony of laying concrete, Hammer was determined to give his all to the new-found opportunity the Air Force would provide. At the time, he had no idea what lay ahead.

"It wasn't until tech school before I actually realized what being a controller would really entail,” he said. “To be honest, it was quite overwhelming."

After arriving at tech school, Hammer went through a strenuous, six-month training period for learning the basics of his new job in a course that had a high washout rate. When he arrived here after tech school, the training only got more intense.

"It's day-in and day-out studying," he said. "You'll take 12 to 14 written exams after arriving here within your first year. Then you have to get watched while you're in position and get mentored by your trainer. I would have to say that is the most stressful part of the job."

With the high intensity and responsibility levels of the job, Hammer said, one person always was in his corner: his older brother, Joel.

"I would constantly go to and tell him, ‘I can't do this, I'm not cut out for this,’" Hammer said. "He would always tell me ‘Don't quit, don't give up’ and would always provide me with words of encouragement. I would second-guess myself and think maybe I do deserve to be out there on a construction site, and he would always say that I don't. If anybody inspired me to get to where I am, it would be my older brother."

After working his way through training and earning his spot to control, Hammer now runs a shift in the radar approach control section as the senior watch supervisor, where at any given time he could oversee up to 23 people.

Hammer and his team control 62 airfields with 10,000 square miles of airspace within 100 miles of Laughlin.

On Jan. 10, Hammer and the rest of the air traffic control team were announced to be in control of the busiest tower in the Air Force, controlling a combined 337,436 operations.

"It's my responsibility as a senior watch supervisor to make sure all of the controllers are doing their job up to par or better," he said. "It's a huge responsibility. We have to fly missions and sorties to get pilots qualified to complete Laughlin's mission. In doing so, graduating pilots ensures we maintain the world's strongest air power."

The best part of the job is how there is always something new to discover, he said -- a far cry from the life he left behind.

"Essentially, it's always a new puzzle to figure out, constantly arranging these moving parts so that everything flows smoothly," he said. "You know when there is nothing to show for your work at the end of the day, it's a good thing."

Five years in, Hammer still can't believe how far he has come.

"I never thought when I was pouring concrete I would be doing what I do now," he said. "I remember being outside with guys from the construction team, and I would see an aircraft and hope I would be talking to them one day. I really couldn't even fathom what I would be getting into, let alone dealing with the busiest combined air traffic control tower in the Air Force."

Knowing he has excelled in one of the most stressful jobs in the Air Force is rewarding, he said, but he’s quick to add that he couldn't have done it without the inspiration his brother provided during his journey.

In 2008, John's brother and biggest supporter, Joel, was killed by a drunk driver.

"It has definitely given me more motivation to improve and get better," he said of Joel’s death. "Any time I'm faced with any type of adversity in life, I automatically resort to his words of inspiration and wisdom. The motivation factor is always there to do better because of his influence on my life."

Hammer said carries the lessons he has learned from a brother who meant so much to him onto the job every day. That positive influence is paramount in the air traffic controller field that emphasizes the need to help each other, he added.

"People think that we are snobbish, but we are like a big family, because what we deal with on a day-to-day basis may seem like a different language to other people," the senior watch supervisor said. "So the way we interact with each other is a lot different than the way we would interact with somebody who is unfamiliar with what we do. We train, we teach and police each other constantly so we are always on our toes and getting better."

Face of Defense: Airman Improves Dust Storm Predictability

By Air Force Senior Airman Scott Saldukas

47th Flying Training Wing

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, Sept. 28, 2011 – Air Force Staff Sgt. Thomas Jenkins refused to accept during his deployment in Iraq that the region’s dangerous dust storms could not be better predicted. As his squadron’s weather flight noncommissioned officer in charge, he took it upon himself to change that.

Jenkins, with the 47th Operations Support Squadron here, recently was deployed to Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, when he decided to give himself a research project before devising a plan to improve dust storm forecasts.

In the United States, he said, "we typically work with water-based weather such as rain, snow and thunderstorms. When you're out in [U.S. Central Command areas], you don't typically see that much. It's more blowing dust and sand storms. Because our models aren't built to work with that, it tends to be … more unreliable than what your typical weather forecast would be.”

That problem gave the military unit only about 10 to 15 percent accuracy in predicting dust storms, he said.

After about five months of research, Jenkins said, he devised a math formula that launched predictability to 80 percent accuracy for predicting dust storms. While the improved accuracy may not be needed much stateside, he said, it will be vital in many areas of Centcom.

"In the field, it will make sure [warfighters] will have air support for whatever immediate mission they are on, and have it more reliably," Jenkins said.

"Blowing dust and dust storms can provide huge impacts to missions and to ground personnel," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Aragon, the weather operations flight’s noncommissioned officer in charge. "Personnel can even be lost in an unforecasted event. So, having better tools to forecast these events can work to our advantage by being able to predict occurrences with the same accuracy as with forecasting rain and thunder, or even fog."

Every tool available is needed in a hostile location, Aragon said. "Everything we do is so time-sensitive and element-critical that we need every available tool, product and method that we can spare," he said. "It is something that is proven enough that the National Weather Service and Army research agencies are interested in its applications. This tells me that we need it in the field yesterday."

In the past year, Aragon helped Jenkins show his findings to people who would allow them to prosper and move toward implementation, including officials at the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

With the research completed and with the weather agency’s stamp of approval, training and field distribution is to begin next year, Jenkins said.

That accomplishment speaks volumes about Jenkins, Aragon said.

“When an airman comes up with an idea or concept and works to test its usefulness, it speaks highly of their dedication to the mission,” Aragon said. "When you have the mettle to push it further, to ensure that it reaches as many eyes as possible with the goal of making it commonplace for how we conduct standard [operations], that speaks volumes about character."

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Face of Defense: Female Osprey Pilot Completes Training

By Stefan T. Bocchino

377th Air Base Wing

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., March 10, 2011 – After nearly three years of flight training, an Air Force officer has become the first qualified female pilot of the CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

"I had two major influences for initially getting interested in flying," 1st Lt. Candice Killian said. "One was my grandfather. He flew civilian aircraft. I never got to see them, because I was too young, but I saw pictures of them at his house and he would tell me stories. The other was a friend who flew. His father was in the Air Force. When my friend went to the Air Force Academy, he encouraged me to learn to fly."

Killian said she went to her local airport to look into flying lessons. Within 18 months, she completed her private pilot's license and decided she wanted to join the Air Force to make a positive difference, serve her country and fulfill her desire to fly. She went to the Air Force Academy to start her training.

"I found out that I was going to fly for the Air Force my senior year at the academy," Killian said. "The undergraduate pilot training track is very broad at first, but you find out where you're going at the academy at what we call '100 days.' It's a dinner and a celebration where they tell you where you're going to go. It's your senior year, and you finally know where you're going."

From the academy, Killian went to initial pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The initial training, on the T-6A Texan II training aircraft, took about six months and included flight training and academics. After that, she went to Fort Rucker, Ala., to learn how to fly the UH-1 Huey helicopter.

"I knew I wanted to fly helicopters," Killian said. "I like the mission role that helicopters in the Air Force generally fly, the broad spectrum of things we can do. Upon completion of the course at Fort Rucker, you can get CV-22s, UH-1s or HH-60 [Pave Hawks]. The mission of the Osprey is very appealing."

After undergraduate pilot training, Killian was chosen to train as a pilot on the CV-22. The initial training took place in a joint program with the Marine Corps at Air Station New River, N.C. All Air Force CV-22 pilots complete the Marine course, where they are taught general aircraft systems and the basics about flying a tilt-rotor aircraft.

"Working with the Marines was a lot of fun and really fulfilling," she said. "To experience their culture and how they train was awesome. I had the opportunity to be instructed by them and see the different learning styles they used."

After training with the Marines, Killian came here to complete her CV-22-unique mission training with the 58th Special Operations Wing.

"I didn't find out I was the first female pilot until they chose me," she said. "I remember being told, 'You're the first.' It's an honor that they would choose me. It's nice to be a part of this elite organization."

Each pilot who graduates from CV-22 training receives a coin from the commander, with a number signifying where they fall in the training pipeline, said Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Riddick, 71st Special Operations Squadron commander. Killian’s number is 97.

"She's done very well in the course," Riddick said. "It's been fantastic having her here, and I look forward to hearing about her career."

From here, Killian will move on to her next duty station at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

"I want to continue to do well," she said. "For all those who have influenced me along the way, I can't thank them enough. Without them, I probably would not be here. I want to thank everyone for their positive guidance."