U.S., Irish Air Corps Forge New Training Partnership

The 582nd Helicopter Group has welcomed a new partnership with the Irish Air Corps to exchange knowledge, techniques and procedures.The 40 HS and Malmstrom hosted two Irish AW-139 Helicopter pilots through the AFGSC’s intensive High Alpine Advanced Flying Technique (HAAFT) course, comprised of 13 hours of academics and 12 flights, totaling 41.5 hours in the UH-1N Huey. This course teaches advanced helicopter handling, mountain flying and power management principles in the UH-1N and will transition to the MH-139 as it comes online in the near future. Pilots were exposed to a variety of challenging high altitude landing areas, including a one-skid hovers to a rock shelf, deep saddles, cirque/dead-end valleys, alpine meadows, pinnacles and ridgeline landings. In exchange, the 582 HG is planning to send aviators to fly with the Irish Air Corps to train in the AW-139.The lessons gleamed from these interactions will save countless manhours, easing the path of transition from the UH-1N to MH-139 and enhancing our flight safety awareness as we learn to fly, fight, and win with our newest helicopter.