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Cadets fill up during Exercise High Sierra
By LACW (AAFC) Kate Johnson
Volume 49, No. 12, July 12, 2007 |
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WINDOW SEAT: Two lucky cadets from Nos. 801 and 802 Squadrons AAFC got to watch an F/A-18 top up its tanks from the comfort of a B707 during Exercise High Sierra.
Photo courtesy of LACW (AAFC) Kate Johnson |
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Nine Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC) were in the training pipeline recently for a 2OCU exercise on an air-to-air refuelling mission over Tipperary Station in the Northern Territory.
Air refuelling, the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver), is used extensively in large-scale military operations, allowing the F/A-18’s to remain airborne longer and extend their range and weapon deployment radius.
Cadets of Nos. 801 and 802 Squadron AAFC participated in one of the Exercise High Sierra series of missions, with the crew of a B707 tanker, A20-629, under the command of SQNLDR Michael Smid.
Aboard the B707, the cadets had a clear view of the F/A-18’s refuelling just metres from their window.
“It was just like being in the movies,” LCDT Dylan Morrison said.
Departing the aircraft at RAAF Base Darwin, CSGT Jeffery Cummings confidently revealed: “That will be me (piloting the F/A-18) one day.”
Opportunities such as this give cadets hands-on experience with military aviation as a loadmaster and pilot. It supplemented their passion for flying with the assistance of WOFF Mark Cini and FSGT Trevor Amos, both from RAAF Base Richmond. Many Air Force Cadets later join the ADF in a range of areas.
During a media day held for Exercise High Sierra at RAAF Base Darwin, cadets were shown an F/A-18 up close, and received briefings from aircrew and ground crew on the jet’s capabilities.
High Sierra is the final phase for pilots aiming to qualify to fly F/A-18s. This exercise produced five new operational pilots and provided important training for air and ground crew.
For the full story on Exercise High Sierra, see '2OCU high on Sierra'
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