Warrior Spring 2005 - Alaska - Department of Military and Veterans ...

By Major Guy Hayes, DMVA Public Affairs
KULIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Alaska ... The Alaska
Air National Guard trained two members from the Japanese Air
Self-Defense Force here in January on air refueling.
Captain Junichi “Mia” Takamiya and Captain Yasutaka “Zono”
Higashizono, UH-60J pilots from Japan received hands-on training
during day and night air refueling missions on the HH-60 Pave
Hawk helicopter.
“The first day of their training centered on ground training,”
said Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bolin, 210th Rescue Squadron
commander, Alaska Air National Guard. “We built a syllabus to
teach them the differences between the UH-60J and the HH-60,
and then we focused on air refueling operations, procedures and
techniques.”
The second part of training focused on two day-refueling
missions, in addition to three night-air refueling missions. “Mia”
and “Zono” flew on a two-hour air refueling track, following
three different air refueling rendezvous procedures.
“We started out with two day-flights and transitioned to three
night-flights with the JASDF members sitting in the co-pilot seat
and watching us before taking over as pilot,” Bolin said.
The Air National Guard also recently trained two UH-60J
pilots and two HC-130 pilots in helicopter air refueling at Moffett
Federal Airfield, Calif., in December, and is working on deploying
an HC-130 and crew from New York to Japan to provide additional
training to the JASDF crews.
The training is part of the JASDF desire to purchase refueling
pods for the C-130H. They are currently flying KC-767 jet
tankers and the UH-60J but don’t have air refueling capability,
which limits their ability to assist in long-range rescue operations.
“Mia” and “Zono” planned to take their newly learned skills
back to Japan to train other JASDF UH-60J pilots on air refueling
techniques.
Ready to Take Flight. Captain Junichi
“Mia” Takamiya, right, and Captain Yasutaka
“Zono” Higashizono, center, both UH-60J pilots
from the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, are
briefed prior to entering an Alaska Air National
Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk with their instructor
Major Karl Westerlund, 210th Rescue Squadron.
Photo: Sergeant Karima Turner, DMVA Public Affairs
Alaska Air GuardsmenTrain Japanese on
Air Refueling
Air Refueling. Captain Yasutaka “Zono” Higashizono, left, and Captain Junichi “Mia”
Takamiya, center, both UH-60J pilots from the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, look at an
air refueling probe on an Alaska Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk with their instructor
Major Karl Westerlund, 210th Rescue Squadron, before an air refueling mission.
Photo: Sergeant Karima Turner, DMVA Public Affairs
“‘Mia’ and ‘Zono’ are both accomplished pilots and learned
quickly from our 210th Rescue Squadron instructors,” said
Brigadier General Charles E. Foster, 176th Wing commander,
Alaska Air National Guard. “We can be very proud of the 210th
and 211th aircrews, as well as the maintenance and other logistical
support that made this happen – and all without disrupting
the level of services we routinely provide to the state and nation.”
“The Japan Air Self-Defense Force can never say thank you
enough to all who made enormous efforts to make this unique
helicopter air refueling training happen,” said Major Hiroshi
“Kage” Kageura, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. “In the very
near future, our UH-60J will fly extended range and save lives by
using the tactics, techniques and procedures given by the Alaska
Air National Guard.” ■
Spring 2010 • WARRIORS Securing the State, Defending the Nation 13