Dover crew flies C-17 training mission

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
  • 512th Airlift Wing
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Dover reached another milestone for the transition to a new mission as the first all-Dover aircrew, active and Reserve, flew a C-17 Globemaster III training mission Nov. 4. 

The flight was part of an interfly agreement Nov. 1-5 with the 305th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., to assist Dover Air Force Base with its training and transition to the C-17. 

The agreement allowed 436th and 512th Airlift Wing C-17 aircrew to use McGuire's C-17 simulator and borrow an aircraft over the weekend for a hangar fit test and to fly two sorties, said Lt. Col. Craig LaFave, Chief of the 512th AW C-17 Program Integration Office. 

The 512th AW's 326th Airlift Squadron and the 436th AW's 3rd Airlift Squadron will take on the C-17 mission. The aircraft, operated by a pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster, is capable of landing on short and unprepared airfields enabling it to deliver all types of cargo to main operating bases and deployed locations. 

The first of 13 C-17s is slated for arrival late next year. Nine of the base's current 27 aircraft in the all-C-5 fleet will be redistributed to accommodate the C-17s.  

"Using C-5s and C-17s, Dover will be one of two Air Force bases that can deliver any cargo, anywhere in the world," said Maj. Justin Riddle, a C-17 pilot who works in the 436th AW/PIO assisting with the C-17 transition. 

The interfly agreement with McGuire is one of three agreements the base has to train Reserve aircrew, said Colonel LaFave. Agreements have also been made with 315th Airlift Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., and the 172nd Airlift Wing, an Air National Guard unit in Jackson, Miss. 

"Training can be a bit more challenging for the Reserve as we have to home-grow our own, where as the 436th will PCS (permanent change of station) in a squadron of fully-trained aircrew," he said. "That is why interfly agreements are so beneficial; we have to go where the airplanes are to train our crews." 

Last year, the 512th AW sent nine pilots and eight loadmasters to C-17 school at Altus Air Force Base, Okla. These crewmembers will be the wing's instructors and flight examiners, said Colonel LaFave. The 436th AW currently has three C-17 pilots attached to the 6th Airlift Squadron at McGuire.

Almost the real thing
In the span of four hours, the C-17 pilots flew through a snow storm, experienced an engine failure, an in-flight fire and still managed to complete challenging missions that required them to fly at 500 feet and in complete darkness. 

Amazing enough, the pilots never even left the ground. 

Lt. Col. Ed. Schloeman, a Reserve pilot with the 326th AS, and Major Riddle completed their missions in a C-17 simulator at McGuire Nov. 1-2. 

The simulator is identical to the flight deck of a C-17. In fact, the training is so realistic that most C-17 initial qualification training is accomplished in the simulator, said Major Riddle. 

C-17 pilots are required to log as much as 115 to 120 hours of simulator time as part of their training, said Major Riddle. And, with a quick touch of a button, the simulator provides a virtual smorgasbord of challenging and realistic scenarios an aircrew might encounter while flying. 

"The simulator is better for training emergency procedures since it enables aircrews to train for worst case scenarios without putting them at risk," said Major Riddle. 

Fit right to fight
Gas masks and people are not the only thing fit tested at Dover. 

The Dover aircrew flew a McGuire C-17 here Nov. 4 for a hangar fit test, and the crew fit in some additional training too. 

In the morning Nov. 5, a C-17 was towed into Hangar 945 where contracted engineers took measurements to construct a set of doors for Hangar 945, the fuel cell hangar. 

"The new doors will have the ability to seal around the tail of the C-17 and C-5 while the aircraft is in the hangar for repairs," said Rob Jones, C-17 military construction representative. 

The engineers also measured wing, nose and fuselage clearances as well as the distance from the aircraft to support equipment, explained Colonel LaFave. 

"Only minor structural changes will have to be made to accommodate the C-17," he said.

Cleared for take off
Taking advantage of the C-17's availability, the aircrew flew two training missions, which included practicing assault landings at Fort Drum, N.Y., and at North Field, S.C. 

"Being able to interfly allows active duty and Reserve members to benefit from each others' experience," said Major Riddle. "We've proven that Dover's active duty and Reserve have an exceptional relationship in working towards the common goal of bringing C-17s to the base."