Aviation Specials - July 2018

both students and ‘blue air’ enablers

combining with an infantry battalion to

create a MAGTF for the duration of the

course, with an emphasis on large-force,

integrated operations.

WTI exposes students to tactical

scenarios that they will typically not have

opportunities to participate in at their

home stations during unit-level training.

And now that combat operations have

wound down in Iraq and for the most

part in Afghanistan as well, fewer WTI

students — including those in the ‘53’

course — have combat experience.

As Baxter explained, ‘We expose them

to things they don’t get to do back in their

fleet squadrons. Right now, with guys not

really deploying on combat operations,

this is huge. It’s a very important time for

us, getting these guys as much exposure

as we can to those potential operations,

because something could happen

tomorrow, and we’ve got to make sure

we’re ready. We have a lot of instructors

that have combat experience, but we’re

getting a lot of students who have virtually

none. So, making sure we don’t lose those

lessons learned, because we need those

capabilities: that’s what we’re focused on.’

‘Hourglass’ format

During the seven weeks of WTI, CH-53

students are exposed to three-and-a-

half weeks of classroom and ground

instruction and the same amount of

time flying, during which they put the

skills and concepts learned during the

academic phase to the test. The course is

structured in an ‘hourglass’ format, with

the academic phases progressing from

generic courses involving all platforms

on general concepts in marine aviation,

to a common stage, in which students

learn how to integrate their platform

with others within their community

(for example, jets with jets, rotors with

rotors). This progresses on to a ‘specifics’

stage, during which students learn

tactics, techniques, and procedures

specific to their assigned platform.

The CH-53E’s impressive range can be extended further

by air-delivered ground refueling from KC-130s serving as

ground-based gas stations. Here a pair of Super Stallions

hot-refuel from Marine ‘Battleherk’ during a WTI event.

Top: Along

with training

Super Stallion

pilots to be

WTIs, MAWTS-1

instructs crew

chiefs.

US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2018

(^34) UNIT REPORT
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