Closing the gap: Guard nears completion of field training

  • Published
  • By Maj. Brenda Hendricksen
  • 163rd Reconnaissance Wing
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. --  When the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing took on its new mission in January of 2006, it was three fold: stand up an operational orbit, field training detachment and field training unit. One down, two to go. 

Of the two in the works, the detachment is the closest to becoming fully functional at the Wing. This is the maintenance schoolhouse part of the Predator mission while the field training unit is the flying schoolhouse portion. The Wing will host the second existing Air National Guard field training detachment schoolhouse. The first is at the 172nd AW in Jackson, Miss., teaching C-17 maintenance. 

The 163rd RW's detachment is slated to open in the late summer or early fall time frame but, according to the Maintenance Group Commander Col. Charles Manley, the date is dependent on arrival of equipment. 

"The date depends on when we get the equipment needed for instruction," he said. "We currently have enough qualified instructors to handle the mission." 

He also emphasized that opening the field training detachment will allow a much larger number of troops to get the needed training since it will be used by all components of the Air Force; Guard, Reserve and active duty.

"There needs to be more training opportunities available," he said. "We hope to relieve some of the backlog by opening early." Ten Wing members are currently deployed as instructors to the active-duty predator school house at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Detachment 13 making two thirds of their instructors are Grizzlies. Primarily, those selected for the teaching positions either came from communications or maintenance positions. 

"The training I received at Nellis was pretty straight forward," said Senior Master Sgt. John Clayton, who came from the 222nd Combat Communications Squadron where he oversaw all radio and electronic switching maintenance. "Coming from a communications background it was an easy transition into the Predator side of the house." 

The process of becoming qualified field training detachment instructors was just under a year in the making. The guardsmen attended the Basic Instructors Course followed by 30-days of hands on training at Creech AFB then the Basic Predator Course. From there instructors split off into their specialties for the next five to eight weeks.

There are three detachment areas of instruction; ground communications, avionics and airframe and engine. All instructors are qualified to teach the Basic Predator Course plus their specialty courses. 

"The schedule of classes depends on the demand," said Aircraft and Engine Instructor Senior Master Sgt. Ron Egan, who began teaching approximately eight months ago. 

The demand causes classes to fluctuate making some instructors have a heavier class schedule as opposed to others. For the interim time between now and when the school house opens, instructors will also have to be flexible. 

"The idea is to bring everyone back to March and return to Nellis (AFB) to teach classes as needed. If it makes sense some will stay (at Nellis AFB)," said Sergeant Egan. 

Additionally, the instructors are not only learning effective instruction, but also how to do business as a school house - a lesson they will bring back to March with them and apply to the 163rd. 

"Everything we are doing here (at Nellis AFB) will help us get to where we need to be as a school house," said Sergeant Clayton. 

Another part of becoming an instructor being mandated by Air Education and Training Command requires the obtainment of a Community College of the Air Force Degree. The main reason for this is that at least 90 percent of AETC instructors must have a degree. 

"AETC wants all their instructors to have CCAF degrees. The percentage has to do with Air Force schoolhouse accreditation," said Sergeant Egan. 

Two members from the 163rd recently received their degrees while deployed to Nellis AFB; SSgt. Heath Branham and Tech. Sgt. Bryan Miller. Three more are due to walk in October; two with their second degrees, Master Sgt. Bill Salinas, Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Oberg, and one with his third, Tech. Sgt. Mike Adams. 

Along with the field training detachment and field training unit will come the Launch and Recovery Element which is slated to be complete the third or fourth quarter of 2008. This will fall under the training portion of the mission and will operate out of Southern California Logistics Airport and is where students, in between schools, will obtain hands on experience.