The first four Active Duty aircrew members recently graduated from the New York Air National Guard's new formal training unit for the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft in Syracuse, home of the 174th Fighter Wing, announced wing officials, May 22, 2012. The wing's schoolhouse will train Active Duty, Air Guard, Air Force Reserve, and foreign military MQ-9 pilots, teaching them how to transition from the MQ-1 Predator to the Reaper, said wing officials. Here, an Active Duty student pilot and sensor operator man the controls of an MQ-9 in a ground control station during a training mission flown from Hancock Field in Syracuse.
Air Force photo by TSgt. Ricky Best