SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Goodfellow Air Force Base instructors and students traveled to San Angelo Regional Airport-Mathis Field, to gain first-hand exposure with the MC-12W and interact with its crew members Aug. 24, 2022.
The MC-12W is twin-engine turbo prop aircraft used in real-world intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The aircraft and its crew are assigned to the 137th Special Operations Wing headquartered at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma City.
Members of the 17th Training Wing at Goodfellow Air Force Base partnered with staff from the 137th SOW to give students and instructors the opportunity to merge classroom learning with real-world assets. The crew of the MC-12W spoke with students and staff in attendance, sharing their experiences in the ISR profession, and answering questions.
“I love getting the chance to bring students out to see where all of their work and all of their training is going to lead,” said Staff Sgt. Catherine Gannon, a 316th Training Squadron Airborne ISR operator instructor. “It gets them exited to see where they’re going to go next and helps them see their role in the bigger picture.”
Medium-to-low altitude ISR missions are an integral part of projecting air power across the globe. The 17th Training Wing trains all DoD signals intelligence and all Air Force manned intelligence career fields. Students training at Goodfellow graduate to line units where they have an immediate impact on ISR missions.
“I feel rejuvenated,” said U.S. Navy Seaman Lauren Bartlett, 316th TRS cryptologic technician interpretive student. “I have more inspiration, and my job became a lot more fun just through the possibility of this being something I can do one day.”