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Follow on Google News | Wathen Foundation Volunteer Flys Training Airplane To Afganistan From OhioWathen Foundation volunteer, a Jet Blue First Officer, flys a U.S. airplane from Ohio to Afganistan to be used to train pilots for that country. Flying with two other airplanes their trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity for this young pilot.
By: WATHEN FOUNDATION @ FLABOB AIRPORT Shindand, Afghanistan – It was an unforgettable flight. Carl Gustafson, a First Officer with Jet Blue Airways out of Long Beach and a volunteer at Flabob Airport, got a little more excitement than he anticipated in flying a Cessna Skylane to Shindand, Afghanistan. Gustafson was one of a flight of three that helped launch a new Afghan Air Force. He was joined by professional ferry pilot Brian Quindt and retired Delta pilot, Jeff Hall, who also flew Cessna Skylanes halfway around the world. The three Cessna T182T’s will be used as primary trainers by the Afghans. They will eventually be joined by three other T182T’s and 28 Grand Caravans, all part of an $88.5 million U.S. grant to the Afghan military. This marks the first time Afghanistan has had its own flight training operation. Gustafson, et.al, departed St. John’s, Newfoundland last week on a direct course to Prestwick, Scotland. “It was a new aircraft and it performed flawlessly,” Their arrival at Shindand coincided with ceremonies opening the new training facilities. The airport is left over from the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. About a thousand people greeted the three pilots and the Skylanes. After a number of speeches, the three civilian pilots were flown to Kabul, where they boarded flights to India, leaving the war zone behind them. “The scenery we passed over was phenomenal,” Gustafson turned down an offer to fly a new Caravan over the same route. Total time for the Skylane delivery flight, which started in Wichita, was 45.8 hours. # # # We use the fascination of flight to inspire and motivate learning at all levels. We operate a Middle/High School, Veterans Career Development Center, Worldwide Aviaition Educational Website, Aircraft Rebuilding Projects & Pilot Training for all. End
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