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Iraqi Pilot Training

bunk22 said:
Agreed. I'm the OIC of the Saudi's at Whiting and I know, there are folks watching if you know what I mean. We train Navy pilots but I'm sure the AF probably has a similar program. It might be a cost thing, the Saudi's can afford to send their students here, pay them per deim, the cost of flight training, etc. Maybe not cost effective at the moment.
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Yes, the AF does/did have a similar program. I had a Kuwaiti stud in my class at Vance.
 
HuggyU2: As of 4 months ago, there were no cessna's or the like at any of the airports in Iraq. Also, there are lots of Iraqi pilots already in Iraq.

With respect to the Marines, I can say that after ad nauseum classes about the current and future situation there (briefed to the staff officers of I MEF (fwd) 07-09), there have been exactly zero plans to revive any type of Iraqi Air Force assets in the Anbar province (1/3 of the country).

They don't even have their own indirect fire capabilities yet.
 
bunk22 said:
Agreed. I'm the OIC of the Saudi's at Whiting and I know, there are folks watching if you know what I mean. We train Navy pilots but I'm sure the AF probably has a similar program. It might be a cost thing, the Saudi's can afford to send their students here, pay them per deim, the cost of flight training, etc. Maybe not cost effective at the moment.
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Most of you won't remember this (many of you weren't born yet), but in 1979 we trained Iranians in Pensacola. When the Shah was overthrown and the Iranian clerics took charge, they ordered all the Iranian pilots back home.

As a flight student in PCola at the time, I have three distinct memories of it:
1. You could buy a pimped-out conversion van or a souped up 'Blackbird' Firebird for pennies on the dollar (it's what they drove);

2. Levi jeans were sold out at every store that carried them, and

3. They were all begging for asylum, because they knew they'd all be shot upon arrival (they were, after all, the Shah's warriors who had been living the secular Western life in America). Ironically, one of the more popular and friendly Iranian studs, a VT-86 stud when sent home, that had been the 'face' on several Navy promo videos discussing US/Iranian cooperation, was shown on the national news being executed less than two weeks after he left.
 
Before the fall of the Shah of Iran, there also was a large detachment of US Navy pilots and RIO''s stationed in Isfahan to train the Iranians in the 79 F-14's we delivered to Iran.

They developed and flew a complete but modified F-14 RAG syllabus for the Iranians there at Khatami.
 
FLYTPAY said:
This might open up the Air Medal can of worms again.
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But they'd earn them. Unlike the UAV drivers.

I mean, look at who they're flying with - oh and they're getting shot at too (but I think that's minor compared to the former).
 
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