Airdrop, refueling events take flight at Rodeo 2005

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Angelique Smythe
  • Rodeo Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFPN) --  The airdrop and air refueling event at Rodeo 2005 included 33 international and U.S. aircraft on a mission to become the best of the best.

“These crewmembers were sent by their wings and their nations to represent them, having gone through intense training to hone their skills to be the best warfighters there are,” said Royal Air Force Wing Commander Martin Walsh, Rodeo 2005 chief umpire. The winner is scheduled to be announced at the June 24 closing ceremony.

Competing aircraft included the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules, KC-10 Extender, KC-135 Stratotanker and a French C-160 Transall.

The airdrop competitors were tested on their ability to deliver people or equipment on time and on target, to land smoothly and precisely during an assault landing, and to quickly and safely back into a small-scale ramp and unload combat equipment.

“The airdrop aircraft move simulated cargo and personnel between locations,” Wing Commander Walsh said. “Their mission represents a wartime mission. They have to make specific times when dropping paratroopers or a load on the ground. The air refuelers simulate their basic missions, which is to provide fuel on time at the right place to identified aircraft.”

Air refuelers were scored on being at the right place at the right time. If the receiving aircraft was in the same place at the same time, they received maximum points.

During these missions, umpires determined if they met criteria such as crossing over a designated point at the right time and following safety procedures.

“(The umpires) are not interfering in any way,” Wing Commander Walsh said. “If they see something that is dangerous, or potentially dangerous, they have to jump in and put a stop to it.”

Competitors received points for punctuality. They faced challenges such as taking off on time, weather or finding navigational points.

“Because these are the best of the best, the biggest challenges are the unpredictable -- the weather or the environment,” Wing Commander Walsh said.

Maj. Blaine Rochlitz, an umpire, flew on a C-130 with the 43rd Airlift Wing from Pope Air Force Base, N.C.

“They did a really good job,” he said. “We took off on time and pressed down to the route on time. They were doing good things.

“I gave the crew the location of a simulated threat which they successfully avoided. They had to readjust in the air and fly a different course, which affected their time control. But they met that, and they did well.

“Some of the turn points that were picked for the competition are very difficult,” Major Rochlitz said. “I noticed the C-17 in front of us had dropped (its load) about 10 feet from the target. That’s really awesome.”

A drop within 100 yards of the target is considered good. A drop within 300 yards is acceptable, officials said.

“The C-130 crew (arrived over the target) eight seconds early, which is good. Normal tolerance is plus or minus 60 seconds,” he said.

“A lot of this stuff (the competitors) know how to do really well,” Major Rochlitz said. “It’s a competition between teams that are very good.”

The teams were scored on their ability to do an assault landing in the center of a 500-foot landing zone.

“They started at 9,500 feet and had to descend to about 8,000 feet,” Major Rochlitz said. “It was a challenging profile, but it’s also good to practice because that’s what we do in war to keep people on the ground from shooting at us.”

The team did assault landings here and at Moses Lake.

“(Pope) had good scores,” Major Rochlitz said. “It was a really strong ride overall, and the crew worked very well together. You could tell this was a crew who had a lot of experience. They didn’t get flustered, and they worked through everything.”

Another umpire, Maj. Richard Rachal Jr., flew with the French team in their C-160. They performed a nighttime low-level route between 2,900 to 3,400 feet. The crew flew without night-vision goggles. However, the umpires, Major Rachal and Royal Air Force Flight Sgt. Mark Pummery, wore them.

“The French team didn’t fly with NVGs because in their country that’s not what they normally do,” Major Rachal said.

One of the crewmembers, French Capt. Paul Villemin, said the flight was quite interesting. “We chose not to fly with the night-vision goggles, but the umpires wore them. They saw what we couldn’t see with our simple eyes, so it was a little difficult, but the weather was fine and we were quite on target.

“The most difficult thing for us was to drop by night on the drop zone,” he added. “We didn’t prepare with any training for this type of flight so it was the most difficult thing.”

Major Rachal said the team identified all turning points. Four of their paratroopers had a drop score within 300 yards. Then they returned here to perform an assault landing.

“It was an interesting flight,” Major Rachal said. “It was my first time flying on a C-160, and it’s always interesting to fly with our allies and see how they do things. Their procedures are a little different than ours, but it’s always good to learn. That’s one of the good things about Rodeo -- we get a chance to interact and learn from each other.”

An air refueling crew flew through a greater challenge June 20. Turbulence interfered with the 22nd Air Refueling Wing KC-135 flight and score.

“The scoreboard may not reflect how well we did,” said Maj. Timothy Vituszynski, a 22nd ARW pilot. “We lost some points from things that were pretty much beyond our control. We had some turbulence that hit us at a bad time. We walked away from it thinking that there were about 20 points we could have possibly saved, but the rest was up to nature and God.”

Umpires Lt. Col. Joseph Smarsh and Master Sgt. Jeff Whited said the crew was well prepared, had great communication with each other and did a great job even during the turbulence.

“Their time over target was really good,” Colonel Smarsh said. “The only problem occurred when they joined with the (receiving aircraft). They had some bad luck running into turbulence, but overall, they handled it well. They have a good attitude, and they’ll do great during their next flight.”

Moderate turbulence began shortly after the KC-135 established contact with the C-17.

“I had to pull the boom off because they shot to the left … at a very rapid pace,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew Calisi, a 22nd ARW boom operator. “If I hadn’t disconnected and taken the 50-point deduction, I would have taken a safety-of-flight violation. Plus, we probably wouldn’t have been able to fly again because we would have ripped the nozzle right off the end of the boom.”

The umpires agreed that the 50-point deduction was better than a large safety deduction for not getting disconnected. A safety violation would have taken half of their points from the entire event. (Courtesy of Air Mobility Command News Service)