Page 6 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis AFB, July 7 2017

6 July 7, 2017 www.aerotechnews.com/nellisafb
news
Desert lightning news s. nevaDa
Facebook.com/NellisDesertLightningNews
34th WPS graduates first WIC built for HC-130J Combat King II
by Susan Garcia
Nellis AFB, Nev.
The U.S. Air Force Weapons School’s 34th Weapons Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., capitalized on plan- ning and collaboration to graduate its first class of students June 17 in the Class 17A HC-130J Combat King II weapons instructor course, laying the foundation to increase HC-130J weapons officers in the Combat Air Forces.
As reported when the HC-130J WIC was approved in 2015, the course ad- dresses a critical shortage of weapons officers in the fixed-wing platform for personnel recovery.
Currently, the Air Force has just seven HC-130J weapons officers in the field, according to Maj. Nick Pettit, 34th WPS HC-130J assistant director of operations. All seven graduated from the 14th WPS’ Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130 WIC, when the 14th WPS had slots they were not filling with students from the special operations community.
The first four weapons officers specifi- cally trained in the HC-130J—Pettit, Maj. Joshua Daleiden, Maj. Maxwell Miller, and Maj. Daniel Ritter—planned and
Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Joshua Kleinholz
An HC-130J Combat King II cargo aircraft assigned to the 34th Weapons Squadron, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., lands on a dry lake bed during a composite mission application exercise at the Nevada Test and Training Range, April 24, 2017. The HC-130J is an extended-range version of the C-130 Hercules transport. HC-130J crews provide expeditionary, all-weather personnel recovery capabilities to combatant commanders and joint/coalitions partners worldwide.
thing that can’t be done on the spur of the moment when someone would like to reattack a sortie or have more flying opportunities.”
When the WIC was validated in 2016, the HC-130Js were not based at Nellis. The instructors had to travel frequently to marry up with the aircraft and main- tenance personnel. The time away from Nellis was significantly reduced, how- ever, for Class 17A.
“Class 17A was not scheduled to travel as much since the HC-130J community made more aircraft available for basing at Nellis,” said Pettit. “This allowed more integration with the 34th WPS’ HH-60G Pave Hawk WIC and other Weapons School squadrons.”
The HC-130J instructors credit much of the course’s implementation success to teamwork. In developing the course, they drew on the existing syllabi and practices of the 14th WPS and 29th WPS C-130 courses and the 34th WPS’ HH-60G course. They then revised where needed to fit the desired learning objectives and tactics, techniques and procedures of combat search and rescue.
_______
validated the new WIC in 2016 and are the instructors who taught the students of Class 17A.
A complex aspect of planning the new WIC was ensuring availability of the HC- 130J aircraft—provided by the 23rd Wing units based at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and Davis-Monthan AFB, Ari- zona. The 34th WPS instructors worked
closely with the 23rd Wing to balance the HC-130J WIC requirements with the 23rd Wing’s own training objectives and deployment requirements.
“The primary challenge for the 34th is that careful planning has to happen for each sortie,” said Daleiden. “Coordinat- ing the aircraft and then aligning that with the available range time is some-
See 34th WPS, on Page 11
We honor our Veterans!
PTSD, Insomnia, or Sleep Apnea leads to Depression, Heart Attack, Stroke, Cancers & Sudden Death.
Dr. Chan is a renowned specialist one of the very few in America in Sleep Disorders & Heart Disease, with expertise to help you.
Call 702 568-9968
Anthony Q. Chan,
MD, FAASM, FACC, FAHA, RPSGT
Former Adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) Stanford University School of Medicine
2749 Sunridge Heights Parkway, Henderson, Nevada 89052
Learn about heart disease & sleep apnea
www.chanwellclinic.org
Military Families & Spouses Welcome.
We are a Military Family!
7035 W Ann Rd. Ste. 110 Las Vegas, NV 89130 702-396-2929
Tue – Fri 8 am - 6 pm Saturdays 8-3 by appointment
www.divinedentallv.com