When the United States got out of Afghanistan in 2021, it left behind 18 Afghan nationals who were US-trained helicopter pilots. These brave men who had risked their lives to help the United States were suddenly in grave danger. Sixteen of them have made it to the States but had little to no documentation of their flight training and experience. When Helicopter Institute President and Past VAI Chair Randy Rowles learned about the pilots, he stepped in to help. Today, Rowles is training six of the pilots to help fill the gaps in their records so they can join the US helicopter industry workforce. At our Jan. 22, 2025, VAI Webinar, we spoke with Rowles and one of the Afghan pilots he’s helped train to learn more about these pilots’ experience, both in their last days in Afghanistan and in their training program in the United States.
