Qualifying First Iraqi Aircrew Leads to MacKay Trophy:
Five hand-picked USAF airmen who trained and flew the initial qualifying flight with the first Iraqi Air Force on an operational mission will receive the MacKay Trophy for 2005. The US airmen comprising “Train 60” who made the historic flight in an IAF C-130E on Feb. 13, 2005, are: Maj. Michael Frame, instructor pilot, Pope AFB, N.C.; Maj. Brian Lewis, IP, Pope; SMSgt. John Spillane, instructor loadmaster, Little Rock AFB, Ark.; MSgt. Thomas Lee, instructor flight engineer, Ramstein AB, Germany; and MSgt. Corey Turner, instructor loadmaster, Dyess AFB, Tex. The airmen will receive their award from Gen. Michael Moseley, Chief of Staff, in November.
Today’s armament maintainers are tasked with performing flightline (O-Level) maintenance with an assortment of legacy test sets that greatly limit the ability to quickly and efficiently verify armament system readiness, diagnose failures, and ultimately return the aircraft to full mission...