SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Newly trained Airmen assigned to the 20th Operations Support Squadron participated in a round of Civil Air Patrol Orientation Flights, July 12.
From opening the airfield to working on radios and controlling the airspace, 20th OSS Airmen are crucial to getting F-16 Vipers in the air, said 1st Lt. Abigail Reed, 20th OSS airfield operations trainee. By participating in the orientation flights, Airmen were able to see how pilots interact with equipment and how conditions, such as visibility, look from their perspective.
This, in addition to discussion with the CAP pilots, may in turn foster a deeper understanding of how the Airmen interact with the airspace and the pilots they serve.
Airman 1st Class Gianna Suber-Green, 20th OSS airfield management specialist, was one of the individuals selected for a CAP Orientation Flight.
“It was definitely cool to see our mission work while (I was) up in the air,” said Suber-Green. “Everything was super interesting. (It was) stuff I know from an airfield management standpoint, but it’s nice to hear the same things from a pilot’s standpoint. If you get this opportunity, definitely take advantage of it. … It’s so much fun and you learn so much information.”