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First IqAF instructor pilot begins training students

  • Published
  • By By Tech. Sgt. Randy Redman
  • 321st Air expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
TIKRIT, Iraq --  (Editor's note: This article was updated March 30, 2011, to correctly state Lt. Col. Hamid Hussein was the first Iraqi Air Force instructor pilot to graduate from the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron, not the first since 2003.)

The first Iraqi air force instructor pilot to graduate from the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron took a major step forward for the IqAF March 19. Lt. Col. Hamid Hussein, IqAF Squadron 203 commander, flew a training mission with an Iraqi student pilot in a T-6 Texan, further developing the IqAF as a self-sustaining airpower partner.

Colonel Hussein, whose call sign is Godfather, volunteered for the air force at 15 years of age in 1980 and graduated pilot training as a 2nd lieutenant in 1986. He said he grew up wanting to be a pilot.

"I always dreamt of becoming a civilian pilot, but the opportunities to become a civilian pilot in Iraq are very limited. You must have a lot of support in order to become a civilian pilot. Since it was still a dream of mine, I joined the military," said Colonel Hussein. His experience in the air has spanned various countries and aircraft.

He spent three and a half years in Greece flying multiple airframes and graduated first out of 15 in his training class. From there, he was one of only three pilots to be selected to fly the French-made Mirage fighter jet. Colonel Hussein spent more than a decade honing his skills and passing that knowledge on to others.

"During those 12 years, I upgraded to four-ship flight lead, attended flight instructor school and became a Mirage instructor pilot," said Colonel Hussein. Due to family reasons, he left the air force, but in 2004 he made an official request to return to flying.

"In 2008 I received official papers placing me back on active duty. After re-entering active service, I was sent to Basra to fly the CH-2000 and then to Baghdad to fly King Air 350's," Colonel Hussein said. "In 2009 I was selected to become the T-6 squadron commander up in Tikrit."

As the first instructor pilot to graduate from the flying training school, Colonel Hussein's determination to long-term success is clear. There are currently 18 Iraqi students enrolled in flight training, and Colonel Hussein hopes to produce 30 T-6 instructor pilots. This train-the-trainer goal would mean the IqAF would be able to sustain flight training long after the scheduled U.S. transition out of Iraq in December.

Lt. Col. Charles Stevens, 52nd EFTS commander, has been deployed from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., to Iraq for nearly nine months. His primary mission is to advise and assist in building the Iraqi air force with foundational and enduring capabilities in flying training, while establishing a continuing relationship between the U.S. and IqAF. He said the way ahead is filled with various challenges - for both organizations.

"Internally we face many challenges on how to responsibly withdraw from an active flying and advising mission. The biggest issue I see is coordinating the support to sustain this mission for as long as feasible leading up to the transition," said Colonel Stevens, elaborating on the U.S. challenges. The Owosso, Mich., native said the main hurdle facing the IqAF is
fully-comprehensive support.

"Locally, our biggest hurdle is limited IqAF support capabilities such as fuel, power, sewage (and) water. Much progress has been made and much still remains, but 'together we can'," said Colonel Stevens, echoing the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air motto. Colonel Hussein agreed with Colonel Stevens and said another critical factor is aircraft maintenance.

"I think the biggest hurdle we face for the T-6 is getting the necessary support to keep our operation airborne. Items such as maintenance will be a very critical part of our success," Colonel Hussein said.

Still, he is optimistic about the future of his aviation students. Although he has many more years of experience than the trainees striving to follow his example to become instructor pilots themselves, he said with determination, motivation and attention to detail, any one of them is capable of doing great things for the IqAF.

"I think it is important for them to focus on the future of the Iraqi air force. I also urge them to learn from the examples set by the instructors they fly with on a daily basis as they begin to develop their instructional style and techniques."