Dover reservists forge bond with Canadian airmen Published Aug. 25, 2009 By Capt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo 512th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Reservists from here traveled to Canadian Forces Base Trenton and met with Royal Canadian Air Force members in the 8 Wing Aug. 22-24. The purpose of the 512th Airlift Wing's first visit was to forge a partnership and identify training opportunities for flying, aerial port, airlift control and maintenance operations. Ten reservists boarded a C-17 Globemaster III and flew to the Canadian base to meet with active-duty members of the 429 Transport Squadron and 2 Air Movements Squadron. The reservists were from 326th Airlift Squadron, 46th Aerial Port Squadron, 512th Airlift Control Flight and 712th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The program is the brainchild of Lt. Col. Craig LaFave, 326th AS commander. He came up with the idea of pairing up with the Canadians while working as the 512th AW program integration officer transitioning the 326th AS to the C-17 in 2007 and 2008. A series of inspections in 2008 and early 2009 put the idea on hold until this summer, he said. Much like the 326th AS, the 429 TS has been flying the C-17 since the summer of 2007. The 429 TS is part of the 8 Wing. The wing is the heart of Canada's air mobility forces and resides on one of the largest air force bases in Canada. The 8 Wing also flies the CC-130 Hercules, CC-150 Polaris, the CH-149 Cormorant tactical transport search-and-rescue helicopter and the CC-144 Challenger, which transports VIPs. During the visit to Canada, aircraft commander Capt. Steve Churchill and his 326th AS crew received a flight briefing Aug. 22 about air space protocols and procedures. The next day the crew flew a training mission involving low-level navigation, assault landing zone operations, and tactical arrivals and departures in Canadian military airspace. "It's great for low-level flying," Captain Churchill said. "We benefited from this training because we were able to fly procedures we can't typically conduct on the East Coast due to heavier air traffic." The Dover reservists plan to fly with 429 TS aircrews in the future. "The program will allow our crews and unit personnel to exchange unclassified tactics, techniques and procedures while building camaraderie with our Canadian allies," Colonel LaFave said. Reservists in the 46th APS and 512th ALCF met with the Canadians in the 2 Air Movements Squadron and toured their facilities Aug. 24. On average, the Canadian squadron processes 23 million pounds of freight and 42,000 passengers annually, according to the unit's Web site. "Anytime we can get together and train it will enhance our mutual operations, which are not all that different," said Maj. Aaron Spott, 2 AMS commanding officer. "We deploy to the same areas and share the same ramp space, so the more we know about each other's systems, the better we can work together." Senior Master Sgt. Dan Schultz, NCO in charge of the 46th APS ramp section, is looking forward to working with the Canadians. "We like this idea because it's an excellent opportunity to jointly train together, which is beneficial for us, especially with an operational readiness exercise next year and the operational readiness inspection in 2011," Sergeant Schultz said. The trip to Canada was not the first time 512th AW reservists have trained with the Canadians. "The Canadians have been down here this summer using our C-17 simulator, and my special projects office has sat down with them during the planning for these missions," Colonel LaFave said. Reservists from the 512th ALCF and other units in 22nd Air Force participated in Maple Flag Exercise 42 from May 29 to June 14 at Cold Lake Air Base, Alberta, Canada. "We hope we can continue a regular exchange, probably quarterly or semi-annually," said Colonel LaFave said. The 512th AW's next trip to Canada is planned for Sept 12-14. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)