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MC-12 Aircraft, crew visit Columbus AFB

  • Published
  • By Sonic Johnson
  • Chief, 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS Air Force Base, Miss. --  A rare sight on transient aircraft flight lines occurred Friday when an unusual aircraft landed here.

An U.S. Air Force MC-12 Liberty aircraft and crew members arrived Friday from Meridian, Miss., to participate in graduation activities for Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 10-09 and to provide MC-12 mission briefings.

"This is the first time Air Combat Command has allowed a static display of the newly arrived MC-12," remarked Lt. Col Rich Gaddis, MC-12 Instructor Pilot. Columbus Air Force Base students and instructor pilots were afforded the opportunity to view the exterior of the new MC-12 aircraft with deploying crew members present to answer aircraft-related questions.

While here at Columbus AFB, Lt. Col. Richard Berryhill, director of operations for MC-12 Mission Qualification Training, gave three briefings to SUPT students and wing instructor pilots on the MC-12 mission, with about 45 airmen attending each briefing. Colonel Berryhill also gave a one-on-one briefing to 14th Flying Training Wing Commander Col. Roger Watkins.

The MC-12 provides tactical Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, called ISR, directly to ground forces and is deployed around the world. While most operational missions are classified, Colonel Gaddis remarked they are dynamic and often change in-flight. Usual crew compliment is two pilots, a sensor operator and a cryptologic operator with sortie duration varying based on mission requirements.

MC-12 ground and simulator training is contracted to Flight Safety International and is conducted in Wichita, Kan. or Atlanta, Ga. The mission qualification training is done at Key Field, Meridian, Miss. and takes approximately four weeks. The MQT unit leases two Hawker Beech Super King Air 350s to accomplish some of the flying training. As production aircraft are delivered from USAF modification facilities to Meridian, students will often get an opportunity to "break in" a new MC-12 aircraft.

The Air Force has ordered 37 MC-12s and they are still being delivered.

The MQT unit is supported by the 186th Air Refueling Wing, Mississippi Air National Guard at Meridian. The unit is currently looking for previously qualified instructor pilots to join their cadre. Columbus AFB has nearly 30 members supporting MC-12 operations worldwide from pilots and instructor pilots to several life support technicians.

"The 14th Flying Training Wing has really stepped up to the plate to support deployed operations. Columbus truly comprehends the contributions the manned ISR mission is making to the warfight," brags Colonel Berryhill. "We are proud of the partnership we have with our neighbors at Columbus."