Team McConnell adopts total “four’s” training

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap
  • 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Just prior to being named the Secretary of the Air Force last year, Michael B. Donley said he wanted to "open the door to innovation" to every junior person in the Air Force.

Capt. Mark Villacis accepted the invitation. Total force integration and better operational effectiveness were the results.

Captain Villacis is an Air Force Reserve pilot assigned to the 931st Air Refueling Group. He's on active-duty orders with the 22nd Air Refueling Wing as a chief pilot in its 22nd Operations Support Squadron. His position is responsible for getting McConnell's newest KC-135 pilots trained for deployment.

Not long after he took the job in late 2008, he noticed a training opportunity. An unconventional opportunity.

A "four-ship" formation, an uncommon, logistically-challenging occurrence in the tanker world which requires four KC-135 Stratotankers to be prepped and flown together, was scheduled for the 931st's weekend drill in November. One of the four tankers, piloted by Captain Villacis, was to receive fuel from the other three.

A receiver-capable tanker is another rarity in the Air Force's KC-135 business. The few that exist are all at McConnell and pilots qualified to fly them are in high demand, which is why Captain Villacis didn't want to lose valuable training time going to and from three different tankers.

"Why don't we fly with two lead planes acting as tankers and two as receivers," he asked, "and I'll put one of my students [new 22nd ARW pilots] in the lead and create another receiver opportunity for the active-duty?"

A 22nd ARW pilot's hard-to-find large formation training would be complete, Captain Villacis reasoned, and his proposal met the much needed receiver training.

This change required bringing in an active-duty Airman on a Saturday and incorporating a 22nd ARW training requirement into the one weekend a month that Reserve flyers have to stay KC-135 qualified. It also meant changing key elements of training tradition.

Lt. Col. Ted Matthews, 18th Air Refueling Squadron commander, had asked Captain Villacis to look for ways to integrate training at McConnell when the captain went to work at the 22nd ARW, and he knew, "the door to innovation" doesn't always swing easily.

"Do it," Colonel Matthews emphatically responded to the four-ship proposal.

A 22nd ARW pilot, flying with a seasoned 931st ARG pilot, led the four-ship formation. And in the second receiving tanker, another 931st ARG pilot with many years in a KC-135 cockpit passed rare receiver skills on to a second active-duty student.

The mission was successfully completed and "absolutely nothing was lost," Captain Villacis said. In fact, it went better than planned.

Building on November's success, the wing repeated the mission during the 931st ARG December drill weekend. Again, a 22nd ARW pilot led the formation and Captain Villacis continued his path toward becoming an instructor pilot in a receiver-capable tanker. This time two more 22nd ARW students took advantage of the rare receiver opportunity.

"An active-duty flight surgeon went along in the formation as well," Captain Villacis added.

In short, the missions enhanced training for both the 931st ARG and the 22nd ARW and strengthened the growing bond between McConnell teammates. Leaders of both units were pleased, Colonel Mathews said.

"Anytime we can get four aircraft in formation is a win for everybody," said Maj. Nathan Dennes, 22nd Operations Support Squadron. "The total-team concept works when we embrace the KC-135 as an active-duty, Reserve and Guard weapons system."

Teamwork, especially by the 22nd ARW and 931st ARG maintenance members responsible for prepping the planes, made it all possible. The maintainers' dedication, Captain Villacis said, was crucial to what has been and will continue to be accomplished by Team McConnell.

A total "four's" mission for the 931st's February drill weekend, Capt. Villacis said, is already in the works.