Event
Heavy Freight Type Rating: December Intake
Nine new students start the Heavy Freight Type Rating at Shackleton Base. Over two days they will be organised into three-pilot crews, receive their training materials and fly a first familiarisation session in the Atlas full-flight simulator.
Course lead Joaquín Ibarra will introduce the 16-week syllabus, from mass-and-balance calculations to the live Luna-to-Mars cargo run. Chief Flight Instructor Dario Okafor will speak on multi-crew culture and why the Atlas's three-seat flight deck demands genuine teamwork.
Representatives from sponsoring freight operators will attend the welcome dinner on the first evening.
On the second day each crew flies its first full Atlas simulator session, including a normal departure from a Shackleton Base freight terminal and a basic drive failure. The afternoon is set aside for administration, accommodation and the first mass-and-balance workshop, which every graduate remembers.