Altus C-17s take training to Fort Sill

  • Published
  • By James Brabenec
  • Fort Sill Public Affairs
FORT SILL, Okla. (AFNS) --  Airmen are transforming the fort into a busy airfield with frequent evening arrivals and departures as C-17 Globemaster III aircrews from Altus Air Force Base, Okla., are training here.

Maj. Michele Lobianco, the 97th Operations Support Squadron assistant director of operations, said the runway at Altus AFB is undergoing construction and will be unavailable for training.

Altus AFB pilots are honing their skills in assault landing zone procedures that require them to land in a 500-foot area on the runway and stop in less than 3,500 feet.

"We are very appreciative of Fort Sill's leaders working with our leaders to allow us to come over and continue training," she said. "It's very realistic, because when we're out doing real-world support, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or other areas throughout the world, the Army is our user; we go out to support them. To fly in and out of an Army field is very realistic to what we're doing these days."

Moving the training here required some adjustments; the first of which arrived March 11 when a C-17 delivered an airport crash truck.

Clint Langford, the Fort Sill assistant fire chief, said the 3,000-gallon crash truck triples the water-carrying capacity of the post's largest firetruck. This truck, manned by three Airmen from Altus AFB and an additional crash truck from the fire department here, will provide fire support services in the event of an in-flight emergency.

Langford is also working to get some training time on the C-17s practicing egress procedures, shutting the aircraft down and removing the pilots.

As for the pilots flying into Fort Sill, Lobianco said they range from seasoned instructor pilots to those student pilots in training for instructor or commander pilot positions with at least 800 to 1,000 hours flight time. Pilots will bring the big cargo jets to a stop in 2,000 to 3,000 feet. On average, this is about one-quarter the braking distance required for a C-5 Galaxy.

"Anything we practice or train with on the C-17, such as going into an austere field or landing on short runways, is perfect training for responding to natural disasters," she said. "If a city had only half a runway available and couldn't get other cargo aircraft in, the tactics we are practicing at Fort Sill would allow C-17s to land and deliver pallets of water, relief aid or other high-need items."