AF pilots first to rate in AW-139

Test pilots from the Duke Field, Fla.-based 413th Flight Test Squadron became the first Air Force pilots to receive a Type rating on the AW-139 helicopter on July 29. Majors Zach Roycroft and Tony Arrington completed the five-week contracted course in New Jersey on the civilian counterpart to the AF’s new MH-139 helicopter. The aircraft is to replace the UH-1N Huey. “This puts our team one step closer to flight testing the new aircraft when production is completed,” said Roycroft, lead test pilot for the squadron. A Type rating is an FAA qualification for a specific aircraft. As test pilots were training, the 413th FLTS and Air Force Global Strike Command airmen were completing the maintenance technician course on the aircraft. Those Airmen are also being trained on the aircraft’s unique systems. The MH-139 delivery marks the first, in recent history, that the AF will receive a rotary wing asset not previously used by another branch of the military. The AF plans to purchase 84 MH-139 helicopters over the next decade. The first aircraft delivery to Duke Field - the 413th FLTS is scheduled for late November. The 413th FLTS is affiliated with the 96th Test Wing at nearby Eglin AFB. (Source: Eglin AFB 08/01/19)