Training wing soars to 3,000th hour in Iraqi sky

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq -- Second Lt. Hassan, Iraqi air force student pilot and Lt. Col. Scott Voskovitch, 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, taxi their aircraft in after Hassan's final check ride and the accomplishment of the 3,000th flying training hour here Sept 23. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Randi Flaugh)

Training wing soars to 3,000th hour in Iraqi sky

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq -- Second Lt. Hassan, Iraqi air force student pilot, retrieves his flight bag after accomplishing his final check ride as well as the 3,000th flying training hour here Sept 23. Lt. Col. Scott Voskovitch, 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, sat in the instructor seat of the Cessna 208 Caravan on this monumental occasion. "I feel so happy and so proud to have done this, because it's a big deal to be a pilot in Iraq," Hassan said. "We are surrounded by the best instructors and best (people) I have ever met. I appreciate the American team; they are helping all of Iraq to build the Iraqi air force." (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Randi Flaugh)

Training wing soars to 3,000th hour in Iraqi sky

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq -- A Cessna 208 Caravan assigned to the Iraqi air force Flying Training Wing flies over Northern Iraq during a recent training mission. Second Lt. Hassan, Iraqi air force student pilot and Lt. Col. Scott Voskovitch, 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, flew a similar aircraft while eclipsing the 3,000th flying training hour here Sept 23. The 3,000-hour mark was accomplished at a much faster pace than the previous milestone of 2,000 hours. It took 91 days to increase from 1,000 hours to 2,000, but only 72 days more to reach the latest milestone. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Scott Voskovitch)

Training wing soars to 3,000th hour in Iraqi sky

Published Sept. 26, 2008
By Senior Airman Randi Flaugh
506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq -- The Iraqi air force Flying Training Wing has reached yet another goal, that may have seemed impossible a year ago, with the help of the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron. This partnership reached the 3,000th flying training hour milestone here Sept 23.

Iraqi air force student pilot 2nd Lt. Hassan, whose full name is not used for security purposes, topped the milestone during his final check ride of the pilot training program. Lt. Col. Scott Voskovitch, 52nd EFTS instructor pilot, sat in the instructor seat of the Cessna 208 Caravan on this monumental occasion.

"It's an amazing accomplishment," Voskovitch said. "It's been less than a year, and we went from no airplanes to 11 (planes) and 3,000 hours. We will never have a chance to do something like this again - it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The 3,000 hour mark was accomplished at a much faster pace than the previous milestone of 2,000 hours. It took 91 days to increase from 1,000 hours to 2,000, but only 72 days more to reach the latest milestone. As more students enter the Iraqi Air Force's only Flying Training Wing, the FTW and 52nd EFTS have increased their sortie production to match the increased demand. In August, the FTW doubled its student population. More increases are forecasted in the coming months.

"The hours will accumulate faster now, as the Caravan component picks up," Voskovitch explained. "We have students in all phases of training for both aircrafts." The students begin training in Cessna 172s and then move on to the more complex Caravan.

The significance of the flight was not lost on the young Iraqi pilot.

"I feel so happy and so proud to have done this, because it's a big deal to be a pilot in Iraq," Hassan said. "We are surrounded by the best instructors and best (people) I have ever met. I appreciate the American team; they are helping all of Iraq to build the Iraqi air force."

The flight also marked a significant event for the American instructor pilot.

"This was my 200th sortie with the training squadron," said Voskovitch. "It's great that we're the first group of instructor pilots with the first class of students -- it's pretty special."

As operations expand and the number of students being trained increases, the Iraqi air force will move closer to developing the foundational capabilities that will allow it to sustain independent operations and grow to meet future demands, said Lt. Col. Nathan Brauner, 52nd EFTS commander.

"This milestone simply shows that the Iraqis are making progress towards self-sufficiency," said Brauner. "Our sortie rate continues to expand because of the hard work that the Iraqis and our advisors put in every day on the flight line, in the classrooms, the simulators and the back shops."