TOP STORY >> 314th Airlift Wing: Where C-130 training takes flight

By Senior Airman Kaylee Clark

19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

The 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., is the nation’s tactical airlift “Center of Excellence” and trains C-130 aircrew members from the Department of Defense, Coast Guard, and 47 allied nations. 

The 314th Airlift Wing is aligned under Air Education and Training Command, reporting to the Director of Intelligence, Operations, and Nuclear Integration at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. 

“The 314th Airlift Wing is the C-130 ‘Center of Excellence;’ however, the partnerships with the 19th Airlift Wing, the Arkansas Air National Guard, the AF Reserve, and the people of Arkansas make up a village to produce Airman,” said Col Scott Brewer, 314th Airlift Wing commander. “Together this village not only produces Airman, but develops these Airmen into combat airlifters.”  

The wing flies 12,600 hours annually and utilizes two local drop zones, two local assault landing zones, 10 regional airfields and 81 flight simulators/training devices to train more than 1,800 students annually, including more than 250 international students in DoD’s largest international flight training program.

The wing’s mission is to train the world’s best C-130 combat airlifters to fly, fight, and win. The wing’s vision is to build the foundation of America’s combat airlift capability by instilling a combat airlift culture and warrior ethos, and developing the skills to successfully operate in an operational unit. 

The 314th Airlift Wing consists of approximately 1,200 military and 25 civilian personnel. The instructor force in the C-130 formal training unit, consisting of 314th and 189th AWs, is the most experienced cadre of C-130 flight instructors in the world. Students receive training in all five crew positions--pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, and loadmaster. Military training leaders assigned to the 714th Training Squadron provide continuous professional development for non-prior service loadmaster students in the initial training pipeline.

The 314th Operations Group and the 314th Maintenance Group operate and maintain the world’s largest training fleet of 22 C-130 aircraft. The 62nd Airlift Squadron flies the C-130H and the 48th Airlift Squadron flies the C-130J to accomplish the wing’s mission.

The 714th Training Squadron manages the $1.1 billion C-130 Aircrew Training System and C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System contracts and oversees 45 training syllabi covering 79 specialized graduate-level flying training courses. The 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides flight line maintenance for assigned aircraft and the 314th Maintenance Operations Flight oversees maintenance programs.

“The Team Little Rock concept is the foundation for the 314th Airlift Wing’s success,” said Brewer. “The airspace, terrain, drop zones, landing zones, and local airports here in Arkansas are excellent venues for training. The relationship the base has with Arkansas affords us the resources to execute our mission.”