301st AS certifies aircraft commanders

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  • 301st Airlift Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 349th Air Mobility Wing’s conversion to the C-17 Globemaster III took a step forward this past week with the aircraft commander certification of two 301st Airlift Squadron pilots. 

Majors Karl Goerke and Dennis Wolf were among the first 301st AS pilots to attend initial C-17 training last January. 

Part of the squadron’s initial cadre, they were hand picked to lead the training due to their outstanding flying skills, extensive C-5 experience in the area of responsibility and previous “glass-cockpit” time with the airlines. 

Certification of two aircraft commanders is just one step in what is a demanding journey for the entire wing. 

“While the airplanes and aircrew tend to be highly visible in the whole wing conversion, it’s one part. Just about every other aspect of this wing is also effected from the maintainers to the [military personnel flight],” said Lt. Col. David Pavey, 301st AS director of operations. “For the aircrew it’s mainly just getting the folks experienced in the C-17 mission and flying the line. These aircraft commander certifications will now allow us to generate entire 301st AS C-17 crews."

Unlike the active-duty portion of the conversion, the 349th AMW will not transfer the majority of its personnel already trained in the C-17. 

“We’ve been working very closely with McChord Air Force Base, Wash., where our crews currently fly their missions, and we expect to expand the list of bases we fly with,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Rickert, 301st AS assistant DO. 

Travis will receive its first C-17 in midsummer this year. 

“When that first plane arrives we will have several crews current and qualified to fly it on any Travis assigned mission,” added Colonel Rickert. 

While the initial cadre has started to return to Altus AFB, Okla., for aircraft commander upgrade, they are running into a lot of familiar faces from Travis: the second wave of aircrew from the 301st AS. 

“Right now the 349th AMW’s conversion is a training priority for Air Force Reserve Command, and we are sending the majority of our remaining aircrew to train at Altus AFB for basic qualification in the aircraft,” Colonel Rickert said. 

While the C-17 tactical and strategic airlift mission is quite demanding, crews are much smaller than a typical C-5 crew. 

“We share many of the same missions, but the C-17 is really designed to excel in a tactical environment,” said Colonel Pavey, who is currently undergoing training at Altus AFB. 

The C-17 is equipped with a fly-by-wire stick like a modern fighter and is flown using a heads-up display as the primary flight reference and is completely night-vision compatible. 

As the second wave of trainees comes back to Travis, they will find experienced instructors in their own squadron. 

That’s where Major Goerke and Major Wolf come in. They are expected to upgrade rapidly to instructors in the C-17. 

“They’ve already seen most of the locations that the C-17 goes in to down range and have flown the airplane in that tactical [night vision goggle] environment,” said Colonel Rickert. 

Majors Goerke and Wolf won’t be the only aircraft commanders the squadron trains.
“Those two are just the first leading the way for many more,” said Colonel Pavey. “These two are special to us as they are our first previous C-5 folks that were converted to the C-17.” 

The 301st AS started sending pilots and loadmasters to training in January 2005.
The ability of the 301st AS to generate all-Travis, all reserve aircrews is a great source of pride for the squadron, but the journey is far from over. 

“We know we have a fair distance to go, but combine the hard work of our crews, the Boeing instructors and our leadership at Travis, we’re doing just great,” said Colonel Pavey.