Airmen with the 571st
Mobility Support Advisory Squadron at Travis AFB, Calif., wrapped up training
with the Colombian Air Force earlier this month with a successful airdrop
mission near Bogota, Colombia. The March 2 airdrop from a Colombian Air Force Casa
295 aircraft capped a month-long Air Mobility Command
building
partner capacity mission, part of 12th Air Force’s engagement activities in
US Southern Command. The 571 MSAS pilots and loadmasters observed five Colombian
parachute jumpers and two pallets land in the target range in two passes of the
Casa 295, marking the first air drop mission where the USAF advisors were
allowed to fly on the aircraft with their Colombian counterparts. The MSAS
airmen have taught seminars to the CAF twice a year since August 2012, but in
the last six months the Colombian airmen have been able to get more airdrop
missions from the Colombian Army. The Colombians are now taking their airdrop
and jump skills learned with the MSAS advisors, and visiting additional
exercises in South America to train others, 571st MSAS officials said.
