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Afghan Air Force graduate C-27 load master course

  • Published
  • By MC3 Jared E. Walker
  • 438th AEW PA
KABUL, Afghanistan --  Four members of the Afghan Air Force graduated from the C-27 load master initial qualification academics course at Pohantoon-e-Hawayee, the Afghan Air Force's "Big Air School," in Kabul, Afghanistan Dec.4.

To pass the course the AAF members had to take a basic load master class and 45 days of specific system knowledge of the C-27 which included check list reading, cargo loading and emergency procedures.

"Soon they will begin flight training with the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron. They will be taking over the missions that they used to do for the An-32 transport aircraft, which are now being phased out because the C-27 is becoming the new premiere airlift for fixed wing. They will be doing training lines for proficiency for pilots and loadmasters, cargo and passenger movement, MEDEVACS, troop movement and vehicle movements," said Master Sgt. Chris A. Beckwith, the C-27 NCOIC of training with 538th AEAS/NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan.

This is the third class that has graduated this year which four people being in each class. There is one more An-32 to C-27 transition class within the next month. After this class, the classes will be getting Afghan Airman straight from basic training.

"I worked pretty hard on this course; I revamped it quite a bit. There is a lot of system knowledge that American advisors learned in Naples, Italy which the Afghans had a little difficulty understanding, so I helped rewrite the course ware and PowerPoints. We also brought in an Afghan contract instructor, Mr. Ghulal Rabani, to help us teach this course. He has been a professional teacher throughout his career and comes from a family of teachers," said Sergeant Beckwith.

"We worked for two months with these men in the C-27 load master course. These are good men, professional and personal, and they did very well. Teaching together and cooperating together with the NATO advisors really built this course. This was my first class and I went through the training and it was a good experience for me. We will continue to do better and work day by day to make this course superior," said Mr. Rabani.

The key part with this course is that it will be the first to be instructed by the Afghan C-27 load masters. Beckwith said that the 538th AEAS is currently upgrading two Afghan loadmaster instructors, the first two ever, and they will be providing instruction on these aircraft for the students.

"I am just really proud that these guys absorbed the material and they asked the right questions. I look forward to getting them into the flight training program. I am really looking forward to these guys working with us and developing them further as load masters and get the flight training done and set them loose to take over. These guys are part of the foundation of the Afghan Air Force," said Sergeant Beckwith.