Chief Warrant Officer Steve Bridges, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, shows 2nd Lt. Karam Ebrahem, an Iraqi Air Force student pilot, the inner workings of a U.S. helicopter during an open house on Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Nov. 25. Photo by Pfc. Justin A. Naylor, 1st Cav. Div.

It has taken months of training, hard work and dedication for this group of IqAF helicopter student pilots to get where they are today. Having already completed the first phase of their training, they are ready and eager to advance to the next level.

Second Lt. Karam Ebrahem, one of the IqAF students present at the event, said he often sees U.S. Army helicopters in the air during his training flights.

"We have seen the aircraft and have asked a lot of questions," he said. "Now we get to see it. This answers a lot of the questions."

During the open house, the students were given a tour by U.S. helicopter pilots with 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, who showed them the inner workings and daily operations of a U.S. Army aviation squadron.

"We are just trying to familiarize them with the helicopter operations in an actual Army unit," said Chief Warrant Officer Steve Bridges, a Hilo, Hawaii, native, and the squadron standardization instructor pilot. "We wanted to show them the equipment we use and the aircraft we fly."

"As an instructor, this is very good," said Bill Harper, a Westar helicopter instructor that trains the IqAF students. "All the things we teach these guys are kind of abstract; this kind of makes it real."

During their visit, the student pilots were introduced to two different helicopters, the Kiowa Warrior and the Blackhawk, seeing how each is maintained, refueled and rearmed.

This visit takes it from theory and shows an actual organization that is doing the same things that the IqAF helicopter pilots are learning, explained Harper.

For the students, this was an opportunity to see what is in store for them.

"I think it is a good chance to see what we are going to be doing later," said Ebrahem.

Once these students complete flight school, they will move to Taji to focus on the particular helicopter each will fly in the IqAF.

"This was a good chance to learn about something new," Ebrahem said. "I like to see things that I don't know about. Part of being a pilot is trying to learn more and more about different aircraft. This is definitely something I would like to come back and see again.”

(By Pfc. Justin A. Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division)