get the ve NATOPS ights completed
before getting assigned to a squadron.
We were able to reduce the time to train
because the FRD has priority over mission
tasking. Plus, the instructors know what
each individual student excels at and
what they need to work on. The product
that comes out is great. As soon as they
nish up their NATOPS check they have
already been in our spaces, doing the
ight planning and ying the aircraft,
so when we get them o cially, they are
ready to deploy if needed.
‘The rst thing we target when we
get a new pilot is getting them night
system-quali ed with the goggles. If it’s
a cross-country logistics run, we can get
them on the ight and hit some training
points along the way.’
One of the newer pilots in the
squadron is 1st Lt Tory Roth, who has
recently come over from the FRD.
After ying the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II
and the Beechcraft T-44 Pegasus andreceiving the rst NATOPS instrument
quali cations, Roth entered the FRD
with his partner pilot. Typically, the
FRD has about four groups of pilot
pairs going through various stages
of training. ‘We started o doing a lot
of checklist work that the instructors
really engrain into you. We did about
12 of those, which we call ‘ ows’ and
they vary depending if you are the pilot
or co-pilot.
‘We then got into basic ying in the
simulator, tra c pattern work, taking o
and landing. This is where the simulator
becomes a full-motion system. It’s the
rst time we start using the HUD [head-
up display] since the T-6 and T-44 aren’t
HUD-equipped. The FRD instructors
like to take the new pilots on the road
and take them out of their comfortable
environment for a few days to get in
the bulk of their training ights before
conducting the nal check-ride on the
way home.’Coming into the squadron after the
FRD, each pilot is a NATOPS-quali ed
co-pilot known as a ‘3P’. Right now,
Roth is working on his 2,000 and
3,000-level codes to become a ‘2P’ or
senior co-pilot. After achieving this, he
will begin training to become an aircraft
commander. Each of the three steps
takes about a year.Busy times
The past few months have proven very
busy for the men and women of VMGR-
252 including missions supporting
hurricane relief operations to areas
devastated by a particularly tough storm
season. Recently, the squadron took two
aircraft and a maintenance detachment
to Canadian Forces Base Trenton in
Ontario for cold-weather training and
aircrew certi cations.
The squadron works with many
di erent units throughout the US
military and is often asked to participate
in exercises. Says Burks, ‘Our campaign
plan is all about working in a joint
environment, so we always try to
schedule at least one [large scale multi-
unit] training event a quarter. It’s also
great for us to show people what our
capabilities are.’
The unit can trace is heritage back 90
years, always being the ‘can-do’ force
for the US Marine Corps. It’s an attitude
and approach that shows no sign of
changing any time soon.Acknowledgements: Special thanks to the
men and women of VMGR-252 and the FRD,
especially Lt Col Burks and Maj Casey.Clockwise
from top left:
The ‘Derringer
door’ viewed
from inside.
The modifi ed
rear parachute
door and
accompanying
rack typically
allows the
carriage of 10
Griffi n missiles,
but many more
can be carried if
required.
Aft of the cockpit,
the primary and
secondary fi re
control offi cers
(FCOs) sit at
the fi re control
console (FCC).
Synthetic training
has revolutionized
the way new
KC-130J pilots are
trained, with huge
fi nancial savings.http://www.combataircraft.net // September 2018 109
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