By
LAC Bruce Brown
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The
F-111 Dux of No. 28 FCI course, Squadron Leader Paul Jarvis,
receives his trophy from Air Commodore Mark Binskin.
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Flight
Lieutenant Daniel Grealy, Hornet Dux, with his trophies,
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Flight
Lieutenant Steven Cutajar with the trophies for Dux of No.
6 FCC course.
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Photos
by LAC Bruce Brown
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THE
Dux of the Hornet component of No. 28 Fighter Combat Instructors
(FCI) course, Flight Lieutenant Daniel Grealy, is in no doubt
about the highlight of the exhaustive six-month course.
It was flying in a “package” of up to 25 aircraft against numerically
superior opponents “and fighting our way through badlands, dropping
bombs and fighting our way out” during Exercise Aces North, the
climax of the course.
He was among 14 graduates of three courses – No. 28 FCI and No.
6 Fighter Combat Controllers (FCC) courses, and a Fighter Intelligence
Instructor course – who attended a graduation dinner at Newcastle
Town Hall on June 19.
The occasion also celebrated 50 years of FCI courses that, along
with FCC courses, are mostly held every two years.
Seventy-four of the 151 past graduates, attended the dinner.
They viewed a video of an interview with Wing Commander Dick Cresswell
(ret’d), who guest speaker Air Vice-Marshal Kerry Clarke – himself
a former graduate – described as the “father of the course”.
“This course is a cause for celebration and matches current professionalism,”
AVM Clarke said.
For FLTLT Grealy, the graduation represents the fruition of a
boyhood dream to be a fighter pilot. He will now carry out instructor
duties at No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit.
The Dux of the F-111 component of the course, Squadron Leader
Paul Jarvis, is a navigator with No. 6 Squadron who served in
the RAF in the Tornado GR4. SQNLDR Jarvis said the “strike guys”
and the Hornet pilots understood one another and “could go somewhere
together as an Australian contingent and work together”.
Another graduate, Flight Lieutenant Andrew Hagstrom, said the
course’s benefits were “the whole leadership experience and developing
as a fighter pilot and as an airborne leader”.
FLTLT Hagstrom appreciated being able to fly “big package-style”
with other aircraft and other parts of the ADF to the best of
his ability.
Another pilot, Flight Lieutenant Stewart Seeney, said he had gained
“an immense amount of experience, knowledge and development in
doing business beyond what I had previously seen or been part
of, a new way thinking how to develop and fight as a fighter
pilot”.
Intelligence officer Flying Officer Dave Hopkins valued the
tactical level of the FII course.
“My main focus is supporting the guys that go out and fly the
missions, giving them the best and most up-to-date information,”
he said. “My future will be training the aircrews to have an understanding
of what the enemy would be thinking and what the enemy would be
doing, to work against their tactics to stop our aircrew from
completing their mission.”
Flight Lieutenant Steven Cutajar was Dux of the No. 6 FCC course.
High praise for the courses came from all graduates.
Looking
back to the start
