RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
When an engine stalled on his T-6, it was up to Maj. Kent Currie to do what is expected of all Airmen - handle the situation.
Major Currie, 559th Flying Training Squadron, and his co-pilot, Maj. Gen. Erwin Lessel, Air Education and Training Command director of plans, programs, requirements and assessments, safely landed the plane to preserve their own lives and save a $4.5 million Air Force asset.
Leaders of the 12th Flying Training Wing presented a "Well Done" Award Sept. 20 to Major Currie. He and General Lessel both went on to win an Air Education and Training Command-level award, and Major Currie earned an Air Force-level flight safety award.
"You get sort of embarrassed by the attention but it's a confirmation of a job well done," Major Currie said last week, describing the events of March 2008 as perhaps the most stressful of his flying career. "Unfortunately, General Lessel isn't eligible at his rank for the Air Force-level award; but I was proud he presented the MAJCOM-level award to me."
General Lessel was actually flying the plane when the engine began to sputter. The general in command of oversight for flight tests and other procedures here with T-6 aircraft wanted to go up in one of the newer Texans that replaced the T-37 "Tweet" planes that had been trainers here since the 1950s.
"I had been a T-37 instructor from 1980 to 1984 and this was my first time to fly the T-6," the general said. "Major Currie let me taxi out and take off, then we flew to an area south of Randolph."
Odd noises and the engine's obvious stammer, along with the glare of several cockpit gauge lights, alerted the Airmen that things weren't right. Major Currie re-took control of the T-6, turned to head back to Randolph and put the plane in a gradual descent.
In a situation unrelated to the engine failure, the emergency flaps on the aircraft also malfunctioned, causing added duress. Major Currie and General Lessel collaborated to land the plane thanks to a clear-headed, patient approach and 8,300 feet of runway space on Randolph's west flightline.
"We were up reasonably high, about 17,000 feet," Major Currie said. "What helped was getting a good tail-wind push. We talked back and forth and worked together to make it back safely."
Another important part of the equation was constant communication with ground control and emergency units back at Randolph. Upon touchdown, the T-6 was greeted with standard protocol, including assurance of a quick exit from the craft and all normal precautions.
"It's a fundamental thing from my pilot days," General Lessel said. "You look back to who has signed for the aircraft and that person is the pilot in command. I was a sounding board for him, and I was simply being his Wingman. At that point, rank doesn't matter. Major Currie is an expert on that aircraft. How he reacted is an example of how our instructor pilot force, Air Force wide, is world class."
The aircraft has since been fitted with a new engine and it continues to be part of the training fleet here, said Lt. Col. Pete Bromen, 12th Flying Training Wing chief of safety.
At the 12th FTW level, the Well Done Award traditionally involves flight, ground or weapons activity and is an event-driven award based on an outstanding response to a challenging situation.