Written by Tech. Sgt. Randy Redman Friday, March 25, 2011 TIKRIT, Iraq - The first Iraqi air force instructor pilot to be certified since American forces ousted Saddam Hussein took a major step forward for the IqAF March 19. Lt. Col. Hussein Hamid, IqAF Squadron 203 commander, flew a training mission with an Iraqi student pilot in a T-6 Texan, further developing the IqAF as a self-sustaining airpower partner.
Lt. Col. Hussein Hamid, left, Iraqi air force Squadron 203 commander, prepares for takeoff on his first instructor flight with a student pilot March 19. Colonel Hamid is the first IqAF instructor pilot to be certified in the post-Saddam era. His status as an instructor pilot is a major milestone for the IqAF in developing as a credible, self-sustaining air power in the region. (Courtesy photo)
Colonel Hamid, whose call sign is Godfather, volunteered for the air force at 15 years of age in 1980 and graduated pilot training as a 2nd lieutenant in 1986. He said he grew up wanting to be a pilot.
"I always dreamt of becoming a civilian pilot, but the opportunities to become a civilian pilot in Iraq are very limited. You must have a lot of support in order to become a civilian pilot. Since it was still a dream of mine, I joined the military," said Colonel Hamid. His experience in the air has spanned various countries and aircraft.
He spent three and a half years in Greece flying multiple airframes and graduated first out of 15 in his training class. From there, he was one of only three pilots to be selected to fly the French-made Mirage fighter jet. Colonel Hamid spent more than a decade honing his skills and passing that knowledge on to others.
"During those 12 years, I upgraded to four-ship flight lead, attended flight instructor school and became a Mirage instructor pilot," said Colonel Hamid. He left the air force due to family reasons, but in 2004 he made an official request to return to flying.
"In 2008 I received official papers placing me back on active duty. After re-entering active service, I was sent to Basra to fly the CH-2000 and then to Baghdad to fly King Air 350's," Colonel Hamid said. "In 2009 I was selected to become the T-6 squadron commander up in Tikrit."
As the first instructor pilot to be certified in the post-Saddam Iraqi air force, Colonel Hamid's determination to long-term success is clear. There are currently 18 Iraqi students enrolled in flight training, and Colonel Hamid hopes to produce 30 T-6 instructor pilots. This train-the-trainer goal would mean the IqAF would be able to sustain flight training long after the scheduled U.S. transition out of Iraq in December.
Lt. Col. Charles Stevens, 52nd Expeditionary Flight Training School commander, has been deployed from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., to Iraq for nearly nine months. His primary mission is to advise and assist in building the Iraqi air force with foundational and enduring capabilities in flying training, while establishing a continuing relationship between the U.S. Air Force and IqAF. He said the way ahead is filled with various challenges - for both organizations.
"Internally, we face many challenges on how to responsibly withdraw from an active flying and advising mission. The biggest issue I see is coordinating the support to sustain this mission for as long as feasible leading up to the transition," said Colonel Stevens, elaborating on the U.S. challenges. The Owosso, Mich., native said the main hurdle facing the IqAF is fully-comprehensive support.
"Locally, our biggest hurdle is limited IqAF support capabilities such as fuel, power, sewage (and) water. Much progress has been made and much still remains, but 'together we can'," said Colonel Stevens, echoing the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air motto. Colonel Hamid agreed with Colonel Stevens and said another critical factor is aircraft maintenance.
"I think the biggest hurdle we face for the T-6 is getting the necessary support to keep our operation airborne. Items such as maintenance will be a very critical part of our success," Colonel Hamid said.
Still, he is optimistic about the future of his aviation students. Although he has many more years of experience than the trainees striving to follow his example to become instructor pilots themselves, Colonel Hamid said with determination, motivation and attention to detail, any one of them is capable of doing great things for the IqAF.
"I think it is important for them to focus on the future of the Iraqi air force. I also urge them to learn from the examples set by the instructors they fly with on a daily basis as they begin to develop their instructional style and techniques."
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