By Shadi May
Volume 48, No. 9, June 01, 2006
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| FLTLT Craig Chaseling debriefs his crew after returning from a refueling trip to Alaska. |
AIR Force pilots, on exchange with the United States Air Force (USAF), are playing an important role in global air refueling, airlift and humanitarian missions.
Based at Fairchild Air Force Base Washington State with 93rd Air Refueling Squadron (ARS), RAAF pilots FLTLT Trevor Wright and FLTLT Craig Chaseling have impressed their American colleagues.
“They are both outstanding pilots and huge assets to the squadron,” 93rd ARS Assistant Director of Operations, MAJ Dennis Bernier said.
93rd ARS Chief, standardisation and evaluation, MAJ Landon Walker added, “Flying with the Australian pilots on a day-to-day basis has really given us a great opportunity to exchange ideas on how we operate.”
“The Aussies look at what we do from a totally different viewpoint, they give us a fresh perspective about how we do business,” he said
FLTLT Wright, who has clocked up more than 4500 flying hours during his 13 years in the RAAF, said this exchange is a highlight of his career so far.
“This is one of the most prestigious jobs in our careers — the location, role and the opportunity to work with the USAF,” he said. “For a small Air Force like ours, there are limited opportunities for us to do this type of assignment. It expands our career opportunities back home.”
“My KC-135 aircraft commander training was a hard workload, hard pressure and hard operations tempo,” FLTLT Wright said. “The training gives you the tools on how to take off and land the aircraft safely — now I am learning to develop my skills, techniques and traits in an operational setting.”
But the flying experience will make the hard work worthwhile, explained FLTLT Wright. “The KC-135 is a pilot’s airplane to fly. The technology forces you to hand-fly the airplane, which is great for a pilot.”
A C-130 and PC-9 pilot, FLTLT Chaseling’s 12-year Air Force career, 4200 flying hours and instructional experience is being put to use by 93rd ARS.
“Professionally, it’s been an incredible operational experience for me, and personally, my family and I have enjoyed our living experience in the US,” FLTLT Chaseling said.
Since his arrival, FLTLT Chaseling upgraded to instructor pilot and now holds the position of the squadron’s chief of training. He was also selected as the squadron’s instructor pilot of the quarter.
“The most memorable mission while here or perhaps in my entire career has been supporting the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-114 mission,” FLTLT Chaseling said.
“Last August, we flew a KC-135 as the pathfinder aircraft ahead of the Boeing 747 shuttle carrier from Edwards Air Force Base to Kennedy Space Center, with a few stops on the way.
“This was the first time a KC-135 had been a pathfinder aircraft for NASA. This particular mission included the Australian astronaut, Andrew Thomas, so it was quite the experience of a life time.”
