FORT RUCKER, Ala.--A red, white and blue flag passed from an outgoing commander to an incoming one June 29 at Fort Rucker, but it was not the American flag. Lt. Col. Philip Whittle took the Netherlands flag from Lt. Col. Willen Van der Borg, signifying a change in leadership for the Dutch Defense Helicopter Command (DHC).
Select Dutch army, naval and air force students complete helicopter training here. "I am very pleased and honored to be the next (commander)," Whittle said at the ceremony, held at the International Military Student Office. "This (helicopter) training is paramount since we are still involved in Afghanistan." Whittle said the Dutch, who have trained their helicopter pilots here since 1978, have enjoyed "fruitful cooperation" with the Army. During Van der Borg's three-year tenure, one big change was made when the DHC added naval and air force pilot training to their duties.
Last year, the Dutch military integrated all helicopter training into one program. According to Whittle, the Dutch train on the AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. While the Dutch do not fly Black Hawks, the helicopters are similar to the AS 532 Cougar and the Dutch navy's HAS3 Lynx.
Whittle said he wants to further his country's integration efforts to include more maritime training for its naval pilots. Whittle added there are between 30 and 40 flight school, flight medical and flight surgeon students, liaison staff and instructor-pilots stationed here at one time. Van der Borg will become the Netherlands' chief of air force psychology, which plays an advisory role in the selection of his country's pilots.
Between 2,500 and 3,000 Dutch military personnel apply for 25 helicopter student spots per year, making the process competitive, he added. Dutch students come to Fort Rucker after receiving 70 hours of fixed-wing training in the Netherlands, Van der Borg said. Once here, the students begin training on the TH-67 Creek helicopter before receiving instruction on their designated helicopters. After completing training here, students return to the Netherlands to receive mission-specific training.
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