JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The 1st Helicopter Squadron recently welcomed 12 newly-minted pilots to its flying community; a 100 percent increase over any previous year.
"These Airmen are brand new pipeline flyers straight out of pilot training," said Lt. Col. Trey Meeks, 1 HS commander. "Given our critical mission here at the 1 HS, we get a nice percentage of the distinguished graduates, which is a bonus. We require the best of the best in our pilots, as we demand a lot from them."
Colonel Meeks said that because of the distinguished graduates' higher skill level, he has higher expectations. The 1 HS mission is vital to emergency response for any contingency within the National Capital Region and provides for the efficient and safe evacuation of senior government and Department of Defense officials, if necessary.
"There is great demand for rotary-wing aviators everywhere - a need that I believe we are going to see continue to increase in future years," said Lt. Col. Meeks. "Our instructor pilots and flight engineers are really in demand, especially in countries where their air force is comprised primarily of rotary-wing aircraft. Every pilot around the globe wants to be able to say they were trained by the United States Air Force. That is one of the reasons we have seven of our instructors in Iraq and Afghanistan as we speak."
Colonel Meeks said the new pilots' presence has infused a fresh energy in the squadron.
"Motivation is sky high in the squadron right now," said Colonel Meeks. "You can't have too much youthful enthusiasm. We are raising the bar for our pilots in terms of better and faster training, and they are continuously finding ways to meet and exceed our higher standards."
The pilots' spend much of their time at the squadron at self-study. Because of the sensitivity of the information, they cannot study at home. Despite this limitation, the pilots will be mission-ready and holding alerts in five months.
"In addition to self-study, we get them up in the air. There is absolutely no substitute for time up there," he said.
By the time their training is complete, Colonel Meeks said they have a deep understanding and an expertise of the NCR's airspace that is second to none.
"Let's put it this way: they will be better trained, highly qualified pilots by the time I give them the keys," Colonel Meeks said.
To ensure younger pilots are familiar with both the challenges of the unique squadron and of Air Force flying, Colonel Meeks said his team has placed renewed emphasis on the mentoring programs, where a seasoned pilot meets with his or her protégé.
"They have weekly meetings where they meet and get familiar with the squadron and our mission. Our squadron mentors have set high standards and clear objectives for our new pilots. Our mentoring program is working really well," Colonel Meeks said.
One new pilot to the squadron is 1st Lt. Jon Ball, 1 HS flight scheduler.
"I first heard about the mission here while I was at Fort Rucker, Ala., at pilot training," said
Lieutenant Ball. "I thought it would be the place for me because it was the best place to make a difference. It is a tremendous amount of responsibility, but definitely the most satisfying knowing you have an impact on the Air Force mission and on the country as a whole."
Lieutenant Ball said the mission's impact and his impressive duty is not lost on him - or his age.
"Where else will you have 25-year-olds doing such mission-critical work and of this importance? It's a really special mission and a tremendous opportunity - you need to give 100 percent all the time. There is no room for failure," he said.