KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq –
The Iraqi air force reached 2,000 flying training hours here July 13, with the help of Team Randolph's 12th Flying Training Wing Airmen who were part of the nucleus of the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron.
The milestone comes 11 months after Lt. Col. Mark Bennett, the 52nd EFTS commander, arrived at Kirkuk. Colonel Bennett came from the 559th Flying Training Squadron at Randolph Air Force Base, where he served as the squadron's director of operations.
"He volunteered to stand up the Iraqi Air Force's pilot training," said Lt. Col. Eric Cain, the 559th FTS's commander.
"This is very significant across the entire operation, from maintenance, life support, intelligence and base support," said Colonel Bennett, who Colonel Cain said is due to return to Randolph in late July. To go from zero to 2,000 hours in under nine months is an epic accomplishment. I am absolutely amazed we have been able to accomplish what we have.
"The risk associated with the Iraqi pilots and student pilots is significant, which makes this accomplishment even more astounding," Colonel Bennett added. "Consider that all their families are living in Baghdad under the current threat of insurgency and all the folks who would like to see us fail, they are amazingly courageous individuals to come here and do this."
Also deployed at Kirkuk with Colonel Bennett from the 559th FTS are Lt. Col Todd Daggett, who had served the Randolph-based unit as its operations officer and Lt. Col. Nate Brauner, an instructor pilot.
While Colonels Brauner, Daggett and Bennett are training fledgling Iraqi Airmen, another 559th FTS Airman, Lt. Col Doug Gould, who served that squadron as its life support officer, is deployed in Qatar.
"In the past, we've averaged four to five Airmen per year gone. As one comes back, another one goes downrange," Colonel Cain said.
The Iraqi pilots believe developing the Iraqi air force is important, Colonel Bennett said. They're student pilots today, but will be the Iraqi air force's future leaders.
When Colonel Bennett first arrived at Kirkuk in late 2007, he had one corner of a general purpose shelter, a sheet of plywood and two sawhorses with which to build his squadron.
"If you saw us nine months ago, we were nothing - no aircraft, no facilities, no students, no progress, no events at all," said Colonel Basim, Iraqi Air Force flying training wing deputy commander. "When we started, we thought about how we would like it in the future. The future is huge."
The Iraqi air force has risen like a phoenix from the sands to reach 2,000 flight training hours. But as huge as this milestone is, commanders, instructors and pilot trainees realize this is only a small step in a larger plan for the Iraqi air force.
"Five years ago, their air force was [non-existent]. Now they have an air force and a flying training wing that's flown 2,000 hours," said Capt. Jamie Riddle, a 52nd EFTS instructor pilot. "It's a tribute to how hard they've worked and how much our American advisers have worked."
Captain Riddle and 2nd Lt. "Joseph," an Iraqi pilot trainee, flew the sortie that chalked up the record for the team.
"Getting to this point was no easy task," Lieutenant Joseph said. "I risked many things to come here, especially my relationship and my friends. I have to hide myself now because of the dangers I live in. I came here to be a pilot. My relatives, many of them don't know I am here. These are the hardest challenges I face. I just found myself making the 2,000-hour mark with Captain Riddle. It's just amazing and I'm so happy."
The milestone was accomplished with no mishaps and the 27 students in the squadron have flown more than 70 solo sorties combined. The training program averages 20 sorties a day, all logged as combat sorties.
"We are in the threat ring, if you will," Colonel Bennett said. "There is a constant threat out there. Just outside the wire are individuals ... who could potentially do us harm, which makes the job that much more difficult."
To date, the team effort at Kirkuk has proven a success everyone can be proud of.