TOP STORY>>Coast Guardsman receives recognition for joint work at LRAFB

19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Lt. Andrew Paszkiewicz, instructor pilot for the Coast Guard as well as the 62nd Airlift Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., was selected as Shipmate of the Week for the week of Sept. 9 – 13 for his joint work with the 314th Airlift Wing.

Paszkiewicz has been at Little Rock AFB for the past two years and said that though flying is a bit different between Coast Guard and Air Force operations, it’s still fun and he enjoys instructing the students.

“The mission of the 314th Airlift Wing is to train the best C-130 combat airlifters to fly, fight and win, and Paszkiewicz has embodied this mission while at the home of the C-130H Formal Training Unit,” said Lt. Col. James Schartz, 62nd AS commander.

The Coast Guard’s history with the “Herc” dates to 1958, when the service first ordered the HC-130B model, now retired.

At the 62nd AS, Paszkiewicz trains airlifters for seven major commands, sister services and 46 partner nations. The schoolhouse conducts training for all five C-130H crew positions: pilot, co-pilot, navigator, engineer and loadmaster, while utilizing two drop zones and two assault landing zones.

“Paszkiewicz was successfully designated as an instructor in the C-130H but continued to hone his expertise by completing the course and becoming a FTU instructor pilot,” said Schartz. “His normal duties include teaching students to fly the C-130H both day and night during low-level, multi-ship formations through central Arkansas and to safely airdrop thousands of pounds of simulated equipment within seconds of a planned time over target. Paszkiewicz is currently upgrading to evaluator pilot for FTU students and is a graduate of the Air Force Safety Officer School at Kirtland AFB, N.M.”

Paszkiewicz also equips students with tactics for avoiding hostile enemy fire and how to accomplish successful resupply for ground forces by employing airdrop, as well as training pilots to take-off and land on assault landing strips as short as 3,000 feet.

“This detailed and rigorous training is crucial to the 1,000 students who are trained in the 62nd AS each year, as they frequently deploy to combat zones within three months of graduation,” said Schartz.

Paszkiewicz was praised by leadership for successful efforts while here at Little Rock AFB.

“Paszkiewicz’s mastery of his craft is apparent,” said Schartz. “He took on the immense challenge of learning combat airlift and quickly became a FTU instructor teaching Air Force tactics to America’s war fighters. His unparalleled feat of earning a unique qualification and giving back to the Coast Guard fleet makes him an asset to both services- an asset to our Armed Forces.”

Paszkiewicz will return to duty with the Coast Guard in the summer of 2014.

It is expected that he will be replaced by another Coast Guard instructor pilot who will fly and instruct in the C-130J with the 48th AS.