First MQ-9 crew chiefs graduate from Sheppard

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jelani Gibson
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Sheppard graduated the Air Force's first MQ-9 Reaper crew chiefs March 17 on base.

The MQ-9 Reaper is an armed remotely piloted aircraft that primarily collects intelligence and engages targets as a secondary function.

For recent 362nd Training Squadron graduate, Senior Airmen Tim Audea, he feels a sense of simultaneous accomplishment and reprieve.

"It's great," he said. "It feels like a big relief."

Headed toward reserve March Air Force Base, the Californian is looking forward to applying what he has learned on the flight line in his home state.

"I love working on them," he said. "They're not like any other aircraft we have in the Air Force."

Tech. Sgt. Theodore Muto, a 362nd TRS instructor, is glad that his students' work ethic has been validated and rewarded within a historical sense.

"All of the hard work has finally paid off for the students," Muto said. "It's exciting to be a part of the MQ-9 Reaper course."

Muto's main objective is to educate the students and give them a wealth of knowledge they can draw from.

"My favorite part is watching them come here and not knowing anything and then leaving here as a qualified aircraft maintainer," he said.

While Muto's primary job is instruction, he wishes to mold young minds into something that can benefit all Airmen.

"It's important to me because the Airmen that I produce for tomorrow's Air Force is a direct reflection on how the Air Force will be in the future," he said.