Class is in session

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jamal Sutter
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  In the wake of the F-22A Raptor arrival, Holloman Air Force Base has done much in taking on the challenge of getting the aircraft ready to serve the 49th Fighter Wing.

An important process has been training "F-117" personnel on how to operate, run and maintain the Raptor.

For the last few weeks, the 372nd Training Squadron, Detachment 10, has been holding a series of F-22 field training classes, to teach Holloman members the skills needed to keep the Raptor mission ready.

Most F-22 maintenance training is conducted at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, but in many situations, especially with the one Holloman is facing, there are opportunities available to get personnel spun up at home base.

"After technical school, you get to wherever you're going to be assigned and you'll need recurring and upgrade training," said Tech. Sgt. Justin Purvis, Field Training Detachment production supervisor. "That's where field training comes into play."

Within the field training, Airmen at Holloman have been rotating on a weekly basis, going through classes such as the Integrated Maintenance Information Systems Course and the Commons Course, said Tech. Sgt. Michael Cannon, assistant detachment chief and Fuels Systems instructor.

The classes usually run between three to five days and everyone from crew chiefs to fuels troops have to go through these courses, depending upon which job requires what courses, Sergeant Cannon said.

With aircraft instruction being no different than any other job, skill or career field, only those qualified and knowledgeable in the realm of the F-22 are capable of teaching these courses.

Being that the 49th Fighter Wing was once an F-117 base, many instructors had to go back to Sheppard to become qualified to teach these F-22 specific classes. Also, to help out with all the training, cadres of instructors were and are being sent from F-22 bases, said Staff Sgt. James Gonzales, F-22 instructor.

The field training is only in it's infant stage with more students and instructors scheduled to attend and teach and with more classes such as the Low Observables Course and Fuels Course to be added to the curriculum.

"Hopefully by January we'll be up 100 percent with every class and all of our equipment will be in and ready to go," Sergeant Cannon said.