CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Members of the 373rd Training Squadron, Detachment 5, are training 24 Royal Canadian Air Force mechanics how to maintain C-17s at the squadron's training facilities here.
This is the first of four RCAF groups which will be trained for four months each at Charleston AFB. Each group is scheduled to graduate and be ready for the reception of four new C-17s Canada has purchased. The first class began Feb. 16 and students are scheduled to graduate May 9.
"These aircraft mechanics have only worked on C-130s and F/A-18s before, so this is a great experience for them to learn how to work on a new type of aircraft," said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Prestero, 373 TRS Det. 5 propulsion instructor.
There are 20 Charleston instructors teaching the Canadian maintainers a wide variety of skills in a 59-day course. The schedule includes knowledge of C-17 pneumatic systems, hydraulics, landing gear, boroscoping, fuel systems, engines, electronics, flight controls, auxiliary power units and organizational maintenance.
"We're teaching them the same way Airmen get taught when they're new to the career field," said Sergeant Prestero. "However, we're teaching them almost everything about C-17s in an extremely condensed version. It's great teaching them though because they're all willing to learn the new information and I'm surprised with how quickly they're learning everything so far."
When this class graduates, the students will either go to McChord AFB, Wash., Travis AFB, Calif., or stay at Charleston for seasoning, which is on-the-job training, for an additional six weeks before they return to Canada. When they return, each class will work as a team on the aircraft at their assigned base.
"Last year, we asked for volunteers to fill 96 maintenance positions for our new C-17s; we received more than 160 applicants," said Maj. Thomas Wilson, project management office integrated logistics support manager for training and in-service support from the national defense headquarters in Ontario, Canada. "Then we held a board in December to select 96 people with 24 assigned to each group. They are, what I would consider, our best of the best for this job."
Major Wilson also said he was impressed with the facilities and the training the Canadian maintainers are receiving here.
"We had a great time training the Canadians and it was easy because there wasn't as much of a language barrier as there was with the Australians last year," said Sergeant Prestero. "Though I did find out just how much they really love their hockey. Some of them even wanted to ship down their equipment when they found out about the ice rink downtown."
The RCAF's first C-17 will arrive in August and three more will arrive by next Spring.