Reporting from Afghanistan – The Helicopter Runs on Paper…

Of course, this is no accident because every hour of the day, in addition to the air traffic the volumes of the motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic are also significant in the huge area of the air base. Like in Szolnok, the movement of motor vehicles is strictly regulated in Shindand Air Base too – and we should not forget that the volume of air traffic is a multiple of that.

The 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing which mentors the “aircrews" of the Afghan Air Force at Shindand Air Base flies four different types. Here the novice pilots-to-be learn the basics of flying on the Cessna-182 fixed-gear trainer aircraft, and then are streamed into two programs. The pilot trainees who are to fly fixed-wing aircraft continue their training on the turboprop Cessna 208 Grand Caravan type whereas the students streamed into the rotary-wing aircraft program continue aboard the Hughes MD–530 helicopters. Having completed those phases, they carry on their training by flying the Mi–17V5 medium transport helicopters of the Hungarian contingent, and join the aircrews arriving from elsewhere. Thus it is understandable that the MD–530s flying the training patterns alongside the three or four C208s are a quite common sight, while two Mi–17V5s are practicing dust landing in a designated area close to the base.

Furthermore, the various types of transport planes ranging from the Charleston-based C-17A Globemaster IIIs of the US Air Force to the leased Il-76MD airlifters.

Back to the papers! The required documentation for flying, mentoring and training, the regulations procedures to be learned and checked at the exams, the leafs and folders of the checklists and instruction manuals for the Mi-17V5 helicopter variants were gradually transferred to the “aircrews" and aviation maintenance technicians of the fourth rotation at each presentation. Of course, apart from the more formal briefings there are ongoing informal conversations which are at least as important as the former. The team has just a week’s time for getting to know the lessons learned by the airmen of the third rotation. After performing the familiarization and methodological flights as prescribed in the US field manuals, the rotation led by Lt.-Col. Miklós Szabó carries on with the mentoring of the Afghan group of newcomers both on the ground and in the air. Of course, they will receive help from the US and Italian partners who have readily received the new mentors introduced to them. Following the formal and informal introductions we can say that the Hungarian soldiers have already proved themselves in Shindand too, as everybody recognizes and respects their professionalism. It is no accident, since the Mi–8 – the precursor to the Mi–17 type – has been in service with the Hungarian Air Force for more than 40 years.

This being so, the specialists of the fourth rotation are “just" supposed to continue their predecessors’ work and smoothly execute the expected new tasks. Of course, they have to do these things while flying above the area of operations with all the related difficulties and dangers…

Photo: Veronika Dévényi