Airmen, Soldiers redeploy aircraft

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Janine Thibault
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFNS) --   A CH-47 Chinook helicopter was returned home to Fort Wainwright, Alaska, by the joint efforts of Soldiers and Airmen working here Dec. 15.

Soldiers from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade worked alongside Airmen here to complete the final stages of their redeployment. The brigade was a vital part of the humanitarian effort Task Force Denali in Pakistan where they distributed food and supplies, and rescued people affected by the floodwaters.

After the brigade members and their equipment were transported to here using C-17 Globemaster IIIs, the Soldiers processed their return through the joint mobility complex here before transport to Fort Wainwright.

The CH-47's land-based transport proved a bigger challenge for the Soldiers and Airmen. By transferring the helicopter to Fort Wainwright using a trailer, Army officials were able to consolidate their redeployment efforts. The process proved successful and was repeated for the next four returning CH-47s.

"This move is unique because it involves moving a (CH-47) Chinook helicopter over land during these weather conditions," said Benjamin Barrio, the 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron assistant installation deployment officer. "It's the first time a move like this has been done."

Moving the helicopter took a lot of eyes and hands on the task to ensure the aircraft remained in good condition. Airmen from different squadrons assisted to accomplish the needed goals during the move. Airmen operated the forklift to move the ramps in place for the CH-47 to be pulled up and also provided security.

"The idea was fairly new," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Rosini, the 16th CAB tactical operations officer.

According to Mr. Rosini, the cold weather had to be considered when planning the move.

"This required an extra wide trailer built especially for this over the weekend," he said. "I'm really happy with everybody; we have everything in place for it to work out right."

The CH-47 wheels were aligned with the ramp and pulled by cables onto the truck. The helicopter was loaded onto the extra wide trailer without the rotors attached in order to save space.

"We tried to make the move during daylight hours, which gave us a short window to work in up here," Mr. Rosini said.

Even though weather conditions were a hazard and the strategy was created within 10 days, careful planning and coordination by Air Force and Army officials allowed the safe loading, transportation and unloading for a return home and mission complete.