instructor pilots prepare an Afghan Mi-17 pilot for his first orientation flight on an Afghan UH-60 Black Hawk Oct. 3, 2017, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Mi-17 pilots began their flight training to retrain as UH-60 pilots in the Afghan Air Force. The Black Hawk is the newest addition to the growing Afghan Air Force fleet in the fight against anti-government forces. The first orientation flight is often referred to as "Nickel Ride" to indicate that it is an essentially "free" ride that does not require any academic result from the student.

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Photo credit: © Dudley Little / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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