An Afghan air force Mi-17 transport helicopter instructor pilot recently trained an AAF student pilot on flying procedures at the AAF training center in Shindand, marking the first time an AAF Mi-17 IP served as chief instructor for an Afghan pilot.

The achievement registers another milestone for the developing training center that Afghan officials see as the home of Afghan Mi-17 pilot development.

“The school house for the Mi-17 is a professional school house. We are building professional aviators such as pilots, flight engineers and flying crew chiefs to build a stable Afghan air force which will provide for the security needs of Afghanistan in the future,” said Col. Jim Mueller, Squadron Commander, 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron in Shindand, Afghanistan.

Col. Mohammad Rahim Azimy, the instructor pilot on the initial flight, said that with the flight training provided at the Shindand training center, the AAF will further improve and eventually stand on its own feet.

“This training is so important. As the first training center to provide training for flight engineers, pilots and crew chiefs this is a very important place. In the future I want to fly with more students so they too can become experts. Once that happens I can send them to other provinces to work,” said Col. Rahim.

“We are now starting to rebuild this air force. I feel good that foreign countries like America are here because they have good instructor pilots who teach us to meet international standards. It’s important that we get trained to that standard,” said Rahim.

The initial “Afghan teaching Afghan” flight is the start of a process to train future Afghan pilot instructors, allowing for a smoother transition of instructing duties and overall flight responsibilities ahead of the eventual coalition withdrawal from Afghanistan, said Rahim.

Regardless of what the flight may lead to, Mueller believes the fact the Afghan students and instructors train with a sense of urgency will lead the AAF in a positive direction.

“All the students here come to class well prepared, study hard and work harder. They hold themselves to a higher standard which makes our job easier because they are working so hard on their own,” explained Mueller.

[Photo – Afghan Air Force Capt. Qiyamiddin, a Mi-17 transport helicopter student pilot, practices flying procedures at the AAF training center in Shindand, Afghanistan. This was the first flight that an AAF IP served as chief instructor for an Afghan pilot]