Diceman

According to US Air Force Major Christopher Lazidis, 90th FS director of weapons: “The exchange is important to emphasise the level of trust and commitment between our two countries. “It demonstrates how deep the partnership between the US and Australia is – not just that we have an Australian F-22 pilot, but an Australian that will train, deploy and fight fully integrated within our squadron.”

Biele said to be competitive for the exchange, he was required to be a graduate of the RAAF’s Fighter Combat Instructor course, equivalent to the USAF Weapons School.

“The selection criteria for each exchange to the US differs,” he said. “For this specific exchange, the requirement was for a weapons officer, so that we could fill the position and be an instructor here at the squadron. To achieve that background, I had to complete that [FCI] weapons course and then be available for that selection with a view to how my career might progress into fifth-generation operations in Australia – namely F-35.”

Back at home station, Biele said he flies the ‘classic’ F/A-18, as opposed to the newer F/A-18 Super Hornet recently acquired by the RAAF.

Despite coming from the older classic Hornet, Biele said jet’s various upgrades such as the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System have made the transition to the F-22 cockpit relatively painless.

“The transition was much easier than a lot of people think,” Biele recalled. “We’re very blessed to have a lot of Americans involved in the Australian system at home, and the way we conduct business isn’t too different from what I’ve experienced here.

“Once I was selected, it was a matter of logistically moving myself and my family to Alaska,” he continued. “From there, I was very easily able to go into the system and the TX [transition] course – which is a course offered for previous hours in a fast-jet type at Tyndall [Air Force Base], Florida. It was just like training I had done before, just in the world’s greatest aircraft.”

Biele said he was treated like any US Air Force F-15 or F-16 pilot making the transition to the Raptor.

“The academics and everything else there were conducted as if I was a Track 1 TX student just like my American peers, who were in the course with me,” he said. “Because of how similarly we operate, the transition was relatively seamless.”

Biele, the second RAAF F-22 exchange pilot, has been impressed by the capabilities of the jet.

“One of the first things that was very evident to me is that they consulted widely with people, and they picked the best parts of the best aircraft to date,” he said. “If you wanted to do something, it’s almost obvious how you would go about doing it. It’s built to be fighter-pilot friendly.

“A few key areas the F-22 brings to the game are stealth and sensor fusion,” Biele said of the Raptor’s capability to rapidly gather information from the fighter’s integrated avionics and show them on a single display. “Combining those two in a fighter-sized aircraft makes it a generational leap beyond other aircraft. That is what the F-22 is all about and what I’m exposed to everyday.”

Biele said he has adapted equally well to the subarctic conditions he encounters in southcentral Alaska, and that he has fitted in well into the USAF.

“Sometimes I have to remind myself to a degree that I’m not exactly like the others, because it has been such an easy fit,” he said. “Both the pilots and the maintainers have made me feel so welcome. Being able to add a little Australian flavour to the mix hopefully makes me a welcome addition to the squadron.”

Between short deployments and training flights over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, Biele holds station at the 90th FS operations desk, where American pilots seem to genuinely enjoy the company of the gregarious Australian.

“He is probably one of the most humble and approachable guys in the squadron,” Lazidis said. “Always good for a laugh and ready to hang out with the bunch.”

But more than that: “He is one of those pilots that you trust to get the job done. He has struck me as a very detail-oriented fighter pilot, which is a huge asset in this business. He has taken to the F-22 very well.”

David Bedard is a member of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs unit.