Photo By Senior Airman Jill Neufeld | Senior Airman Andrew Chatfield and Senior Airman Michael Dabbs, C-17 Globemaster III...... read more read more
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An aircrew from the 14th Airlift Squadron stationed at Joint Base Charleston, S.C., demonstrated a deployment preparation off-station trainer over Texas, Colorado and Arizona Dec. 17-20, 2020. The aircrew conducted the training to prepare themselves and sharpen their skills for when they deploy next month.
Capt. Todd O’Brien, a C-17 Globemaster III instructor pilot and aircraft commander assigned to the 14th AS, explained the importance of this type of training mission.
“The whole purpose of this mission is to simulate the types of flights that we will be flying downrange when we deploy next month to get the co-pilots and the aircraft commanders ready to fly these types of sorties,” said O’Brien. “It’s important to get them experienced with the types of challenges and the things we don’t see normally day-to-day back home at Charleston, so they’re not seeing it for the first time when we deploy.”
The aircrew encountered small runways that simulate some of the airfields downrange and high altitude areas that cause the aircraft to behave in the same way. They flew places with an open air space that allowed them to practice the maneuvers they wouldn’t be able to in crowded areas.
1st Lt. Dylan Sharpy, a C-17 Globemaster III co-pilot assigned to the 14th AS, is one of the co-pilots undergoing this pre-deployment training. He explains why he finds the training to be beneficial for himself and his colleagues.
“We are essentially here trying to support the pre deployment training as guys that have never deployed before,” said Sharpy. “I think all of us co-pilots are here this weekend are trying to get first or second time exposure to environments that we’ll see over in the middle east. Our role is to both learn and then execute the stuff we might see downrange.”
The type of in-flight training the crew was able to perform was different than the day-to-day training they would normally encounter back at Charleston. O’Brien further explained how the training mission will better prepare junior pilots.
“This is a huge training because we get to know each other and see our strengths and weaknesses so that we’re ready when we get downrange,” said O’Brien. “The freedom and diversity of the training from the normal Charleston local day training is a huge opportunity for them to use skills that they’re not used to, see things they’ve never seen before and encounter challenges they weren’t expecting.”
The OST pushed co-pilots and aircraft commanders out of their comfort zone to prepare them for any challenges they may encounter downrange.
| Date Taken: | 12.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2020 17:34 |
| Story ID: | 385641 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 437th AW Conducts OST Mission, by SrA Jill Neufeld, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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