Successful airlift mission downrange highlights Dover capabilities

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Chad Padgett
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AFNS) --  Working with other agencies in a hostile environment on a quick turn around rotation, four airlift crews managed to deliver more than 100 helicopters to Army units at three locations in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army teams assisted the C-5M loadmasters Naval Station Rota, Spain, and three locations in Afghanistan.

"The Army was great to have on the ground and helped the loading and unloading of over 100 helicopters run smoothly," said Tech Sgt. Scott Cassyd, a C-5 loadmaster with the Air Force Reserve Command's 709th Airlift Squadron here.

The crews would take turns between Rota, where the helicopters were delivered by boat and the three locations in Afghanistan where the Army was eagerly waiting. When one crew landed at a forward operating location, they would 'tag out' with the crew on the ground who would fly back to get the next batch of helicopters. This was the first time the C-5M 'Super Galaxy' was put into this type of a deployed construct, flying on a near constant schedule.

"Swapping crews downrange helped ensure our C-5s would minimize their downrange exposure," said Capt. Cory Damon, a C-5M evaluator pilot from Dover's 9th Airlift Squadron. "With forward deployed unloading teams and maintenance personnel we were able to turn aircraft back to Rota quickly. The entire operation focused on the exceptional ability of the Army, Navy and Air Force to come together to directly improve our combat capabilities downrange in a short time span. Military Sealift Command, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Reserve Command and the Army's 4th Infantry Division were integral in the accomplishment of this mission."

The three newest C-5M aircraft commanders were given a heavy responsibility as they took the reigns to lead over 75 percent of the C-5M missions, Dover officials said. Capt. Paul Seidel, Capt. A.J. Pratt and Capt. Ryan Ness, all from the 9th AS, have been aircraft commanders for three months. They were the first C-5M aircraft commander upgrades and now are fully qualified to lead up to 22 crewmembers in combat operations like these.

"We enjoyed accomplishing this mission over the last 30 days," said Captain Ness. "We always look forward to demonstrating the C-5's unique abilities, and all of the personnel involved were dedicated to the on-time delivery of the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade's helicopters."

Coordinating four aircrews at four separate locations while working with other agencies in hostile areas may have been a challenge for the Dover crews but they were able to over come all obstacles and deliver the necessary materials needed to help the warfighting mission.

"These missions provided another excellent opportunity to support our joint team members in Afghanistan and to showcase the C-5M's increased reliability and direct delivery performance capabilities," said Capt. Matt Jaeger, a C-5M evaluator pilot from the 9th AS.