An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Nov. 20, 2023

NY Guard Helps Prepare Georgia Guard for Aircraft Conversion

By Staff Sgt. Daniel Farrell, New York National Guard

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. - New York Air National Guard Airmen of the 106th Rescue Wing’s maintenance squadron spent a month teaching the ins and outs of C-130J maintenance to members of the Georgia Air Guard at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base.

The 165th Airlift Wing’s maintenance squadron worked side-by-side with the New Yorkers Oct. 10-17, getting hands-on training fixing the latest version of the C-130.

The Georgia Airmen are converting from the C-130H to the C-130J, comparable to the HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue planes like those flown by the 106th.

Master Sgt. Derek Morrison, 106th avionics flight chief, said one of the lessons learned during the 106th conversion in 2019 was that the training was challenging.

The goal of the 106th maintenance squadron was to ensure a smoother training process and give them a chance to get hands-on and practice advanced troubleshooting, he said.

Master Sgt. Ashley Jones, the 165th avionics flight chief, said the 165th Airlift Wing started the aircraft conversion process in July and will replace its legacy C-130H with new C-130J models in December.

Before coming to the 106th, Jones said the Georgia Guardsmen completed a two-month C-130J training with the 373rd Training Squadron, Detachment 4, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“The hands-on training has been very beneficial,” said Jones. “There are things you can’t always get in a trainer at a schoolhouse.”

Tech Sgt. Timothy Thompson, a 165th avionics technician, said the training has been helpful.

“Among our group, we have a lot of maintenance experience,” Thompson said. “But being able to apply those basic principles that we already know, seeing how that applies to the new system, has been really helpful to do firsthand.”

Thompson said the J-model is much improved, with a more friendly user interface.

“You just come out to the plane, turn it on and the software is ready to go for you to do maintenance,” he said. “There’s no uploading time or all that extra time.”

The J-model is called a glass cockpit, with everything more modernized and electric, said Jones. 

“The most challenging part is continuing the training,” said Morrison. “The train-the-trainer portion of this is very difficult because they are going to have to take everything they learned here and train their [drill status Guardsmen].”

Morrison said the training helps prepare the 165th for success with the conversion and provides an opportunity to build rapport with another unit by sharing best practices.


 

 

 

Related Articles
An MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 178th Wing and an a F-16C Fighting Falcon from the 180th Fighter Wing participate in a close formation taxi
Ohio Guard’s 178th Wing Showcases Agile Combat Employment
By Tiffany Scofield, | March 20, 2025
SPRINGFIELD-BECKLEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ohio - Airmen from the Ohio Air National Guard’s 178th Wing, collaborating with the New York and Mississippi Air National Guard, showcased Agile Combat Employment during Exercise...

New York Air National Guard leaders look at a C-17 Globemaster III equipped with microvanes at Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, Feb. 2, 2025. Microvanes are 3D printed devices that reduce drag and fuel consumption by 1%, saving the Air Force money and enhancing mission capability.
New York Guard Airmen Modernize C-17 Fleet with Microvanes
By Senior Airman Sarah Post, | March 19, 2025
STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. - The 105th Airlift Wing is playing a key role in a modernization initiative for the U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III fleet and has become the first base to permanently maintain the...

An LC-130 assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard, at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, during the 2024-25 Operation Deep freeze support season.
New York Air Wing Concludes Antarctic Science Support Season
By Jaclyn Lyons, | March 18, 2025
SCOTIA, N.Y. - The New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing moved 1,076 passengers, 900 tons of cargo and 120,000 gallons of fuel during its annual support for science in Antarctica from October to February.The 109th...