163d RW to expand Predator training at March Air Reserve Base

  • Published
  • By Technical Sgt. Julie Avey
  • 163d Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
The 163d Maintenance Group's Field Training Detachment (FTD) here will soon be a fully accredited MQ-1 Predator maintenance training schoolhouse, according to a memorandum of agreement between Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Air National Guard Bureau (ANGB) and the 163d FTD. 

Once the approval is final, the FTD will report directly to AETC at Randolph Air Force Base headquarters in Texas, although it will remain part of the 163d Reconnaissance Wing. The schoolhouse now operates under Detachment 13 at Nellis Air Force Base, but will be placed in AETC's chain of command after approval. The move will also bring more capabilities to the unit, such as the ability to train active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard personnel on Predator maintenance operations. 

The decision to make the unit a formal training facility was driven primarily by the high demand for training on the Predator, according to Senior Master Sgt. Ron Egan, 163d Maintenance Group superintendent. However, the unit is quickly building a reputation for being on the leading edge of the Predator mission, he said. In fact, during a recent visit to the FTD, Col. Christopher Chambliss, who leads active duty Predator operations at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. - including maintenance training - indicated that he was impressed with the FTD facilities. The colonel also said he would like to see active-duty members training at the 163d's facilities in the near future. 

Predator maintenance at the 163d RW recently moved to a new building to facilitate the training, which previously took place in a hangar used temporarily after the wing transitioned from its KC-135 Stratotankers to the Predator in late 2006. Now, equipment
and tools are making their way to the FTD, which will enable the unit to accommodate more students. In fact, instructors will be able to conduct classes of up to 40 students per shift. 

Students will begin by attending a three-day Predator introduction course either at the 163d FTD or at Nellis AFB before getting about 30 days of hands-on training at Creech AFB. They will continue with five- to six-week classes for crew chiefs, avionics or ground communications training at Creech, then return to their home stations to complete their hands-on training. 

The 163d FTD will teach ground communications systems, aircraft power plant, general systems and avionics systems - all under one roof, in five state-of-the-art rooms in the new facility. One of the classrooms contains a fixed ground control station, providing students with line of sight to a training aircraft located in an adjacent room. 

The unit has plenty of room to grow, according to Sergeant Egan. 

"Equipment is the only limitation," he said. "The new building brought the magnitude of space for the classes to take place, and in the near future more capabilities will allow us to grow."