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Afghan Air Force C-27 Program Logs 1000 Flight Hours

  • Published
  • By MC2 Dave Quillen
  • 438th AEW PA
KABUL, Afghanistan --  On Dec. 3, 2009, the C-27 Spartan fixed wing aircraft flew its first mission over the Afghanistan. The mission was simple and straightforward: a 15-minute trip from Kabul to Bagram for maintenance. Nine months later, the C-27 program marks its 1,000th hour and its first functional Afghan flight crew.

"The 1,000 hour mark is somewhat anecdotal, but it coincided with us having the first Afghan crew ready for their final qualification before being capable to fly without U.S. Advisors. So we put the two events together so they would have a stronger impact in marking the achievements," said Lt. Col. James Piel, commander, 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, lead C-27 advisor for NATO's Combined Air Power Transition Force (CAPTF).

Unlike the C-27's first mission, the mission marking the 1,000th hour was complicated. The mission delivered from Kabul, critical Afghan Air Force cargo in support of the Mi-17 mission in Kandahar. The return flight leg to Kabul transported nine wounded Afghan soldiers and one Afghan soldier killed in combat.

At the conclusion of the mission, Brig Gen. Michael Boera, commanding general, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Combined Air Power Transition Force congratulated the Afghan crew and presented a certificate of achievement.

Boera also presented medals to the Afghan crew that participated in the first international mission to Pakistan last May. That mission was the transportation of the Afghan Speaker of the Wolesi Jirqa, Mohammad Younous Qanooni and other dignitaries to Pakistan for partnership talks.

Boera awarded deserving NATO advisors the Army Achievement medal and the Afghan crew the U.S. Air Force Achievement medal for their excellent performance and said "It is an exciting time for the Afghan Air Force...it is good to do missions shonna by shonna [shoulder to shoulder] but it will be even better when you are able to complete the mission sets on your own."

In the coming months, three to four more Afghan crew members will qualify to fly without NATO advisors, continuing the development of the Afghan Air Force.

"They have been working so hard and it is very important when you reach a new milestone to document the achievement and give the Afghans something to stand on. Every time you can give the Afghans a piece of that milestone, you can see it on their face as it energizes them to work harder and strive to become a more professional force; every benchmark ads to their capabilities and their confidence," said Piel