Wing teams up for total force training

  • Published
  • By Maj. David Kurle
  • 442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  The lines between active duty and the Air Force Reserve blurred a little more at the 442nd Fighter Wing in February as it partnered with the 81st Fighter Squadron from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, the sameA-10 unit it deployed with 10 months ago.

Twenty pilots from the 81st, part of the 52nd Fighter Wing, will fly with the 442nd at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., through the beginning of May.

"It's a win-win situation for both units," said Lt. Col. John Hoff, commander of the 442nd FW's 303rd Fighter Squadron. "It's a win for Ops because we keep our instructor pilots sharp, it's a win for maintenance because they bring in new Airmen for seasoning and it's win for (the 81st FS at) Spangdahlem because they get upgrade training."

"It's nice to see these guys again," said Capt. David Kirkendall, an A-10 pilot from the 81st. The two squadrons teamed up in May 2006 for an Aerospace Expeditionary Force deployment to Operation Enduring Freedom at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

Pilots from the 81st will rotate through in three stages for the next three months to fly with Reserve pilots and catch up on training sorties, which have been hard to come by at their base in Germany.

A number of factors limited the amount of training sorties the 81st was able to fly this winter in Germany, including bad weather, flight restrictions on the type and amount of flights allowed by the German government, and the availability of aircraft, which needed maintenance after returning from a four-month AEF deployment.

"In Germany, we normally don't get to fly at 500 feet wherever we want to," Captain Kirkendall said. "It's great to come to Whiteman and fly low."

Low-level flying is important in A-10 training since its primary role is providing close air support to combat units on the ground.

"We have no tactical ranges in Germany where we can shoot tactically and drop practice bombs," Captain Kirkendall said. "In January we had two weeks when we couldn't fly because of ice-fog."

A-10 pilots at Whiteman fly daily training missions to Cannon Range near Fort Leonard Wood in central Missouri to shoot the plane's 30-milimeter gun and drop practice bombs.

"Spangdahlem is in a unique situation because of bad weather, airplane availability and flight rules in Germany," Colonel Hoff said. "They have a problem getting enough flying time, so that's where we step in.

"Some of them will employ more practice bombs in a month at Cannon Range than they will all year back at Spangdahlem," he said.

Colonel Hoff's plan for getting the active-duty pilots the flying time they need include three priorities. The first is getting them re-current on training sorties they need to maintain a status of "combat-mission-ready."

To maintain a CMR status, active-duty pilots need eight flights per month for experienced aviators and nine per month for those considered inexperienced, according to Captain Kirkendall.

Colonel Hoff's second priority is to provide "lead-upgrade" training, so that pilots will return to Germany fully qualified to lead two- and four-aircraft formations in combat.
This requires four to eight training flights and a final "check ride" to make sure a pilot is fully "lead qualified," he said. "The third goal is other associated training - night takeoffs and landings, as well as targeting pod upgrades."

Colonel Hoff credits the 442nd Maintenance Group for making this Total Force initiative a reality. After all, without well-maintained aircraft, flying the training sorties would not be possible.

"It's not only pilots teaching these guys," he said. "It's maintenance generating the additional airplanes. It's a team effort."

Both Air Force Reserve Command and U.S. Air Forces Europe approved the Total Force initiative. USAFE provided funding for 900 man-days in the 442nd Maintenance Group so that enough reservists were available to support the additional sorties.

"This allowed the maintenance group to bring in 10 Airmen for 90 days each," Colonel Hoff said. "Maintenance can bring in younger Airmen to get experience. Instead of waiting for an annual tour, we can bring in a young maintainer, right out of training, and season them, reinforcing what they learned in tech. school."

It also benefits the 442nd Fighter Wing in other ways, according to Colonel Hoff.

"The future leaders in the A-10 community are some of these young pilots (from the 81st)," he said. "If they see now what the Reserve can do for them, they will trust us when they get into leadership positions. They're going to be the squadron commanders in 12 to 15 years."

In addition, the wing's instructor pilots gain experience in teaching techniques and procedures while flying alongside the younger, active-duty pilots, according to Colonel Hoff.

"The active duty has faith that we will train their pilots and train them right," he said. "Reserve squadrons are heavy on instructor pilots. We've got the experience and we're willing to help them out."
"It's just good training to come here and learn different tactics and see different ranges," Captain Kirkendall said. "Flying is dynamic, so it's good to see something different and get inputs from experienced instructor pilots."

The two units also share the same AEF rotation schedule and could very well be deployed together again in the future.

"This prepares us for war because we'll be flying again with these pilots in combat," Colonel Hoff said.

"One of the best benefits is getting to fly with the guys you went to war with," Captain Kirkendall said.

The current partnership with the 81st is not the only Total Force initiative underway at the 442nd Fighter Wing. Active-duty pilots from Spangdahlem and Eilson Air Force Base trained here in 2006.

In addition, under the Fighter Associate Program, the active-duty currently has four pilots assigned to the wing for three-year tours and plans call for a total of six active-duty pilots in the future, according to Colonel Hoff.

"Our wing receives requests to train active-duty pilots because of our credibility," Colonel Hoff said. "One of the greatest compliments we can get is when these pilots return to their units and tell their commanders 'those 442nd folks are just like us.'"