Canadian Hercules reach milestone in campaign against terrorism

By Captain Gary Moore

CAMP MIRAGE – The Canadian Air Force contribution to the campaign against terrorism has reached an important milestone.

The proud 5000th hour crew from 436 Squadron out of 8 Wing Trenton: (standing from left) Sergeant Réjean Gauthier, Flight Engineer; Captain James Brown, Navigator; Master Corporals Nathalie Mallet and Les Page, Loadmasters; (kneeling from left) Capt Phil Daunais, First Officer; and Capt Gary Moore, the Aircraft Commander, at Kabul International Airport, April 6.

On March 23, a Canadian CC-130 Hercules, flying with the Theatre Support Element (TSE) of Task Force Kabul (TFK), flew its 5000th hour of airlift in support of Operation ATHENA, the Canadian commitment to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

What does 5000 hours of airlift time really mean?

Since August 16, 2003:

• The TSE CC-130s have flown 2.8 million kilometres, or 70 times around the Earth;
• Burned over three million gallons of fuel;
• Carried 27,000 passengers and 4,535.9237 metric tones (10.6 million pounds) of freight in support of the troops on the ground in Kabul;

Over that period, the TSE has maintained Camp Mirage, a crucial staging base for the operation in Afghanistan. Members of the TSE have provided:

• Security;
• Transport;
• Accommodations and messing (feeding);
• Prepared 35,350 in-flight meals;
• Processed passengers and cargo;
• Loaded aircraft and maintained listening watch throughout the1 250 flights it took to reach this point.

Aircraft maintenance personnel have prepared and configured the CC-130s aircraft for various missions by:

• Loading fuel;
• Performing maintenance, inspections and repairs;
• Assisting in the start and taxi of the aircraft for the 625 missions flown.

Flight crews have operated on a 56-day tour of duty, and for the last two years, approximately 30 aircrews have rotated through Camp Mirage.

Reaching 5000 hours is a group effort as seen by this photo on the flight line at Camp Mirage.

In preparation for the missions into Afghanistan, Flight Engineers have performed pre-flight inspections on the aircraft and Loadmasters have performed inspections of the cargo compartment and the cargo itself. Navigators assessed the route for restricted areas and calculated necessary fuel and travel time to Kabul.

Pilots have:

• Reviewed their missions,
• Filed flight plans,
• Determined the safest routing,
• Signed flight tracking forms and dangerous cargo documents,
• Briefed the crew on details of the flight including any threats and operational restrictions.
• And perhaps most importantly, piloted their aircraft safely

Once on the ground in Kabul, Airborne Security Officers stand guard around the aircraft while it is unloaded and reloaded for the return flight, as quickly as possible.

To put it in layman’s terms, the flight from Camp Mirage to Kabul is like driving from Toronto to Montréal, and returning the same day. With the exception that prior to descent into Kabul, all crew and passengers don flak vests, helmets and assume a combat posture because of the potential risk of insurgent groups targeting the aircraft.

It takes the teamwork of all of these individuals to make the TSE run as smoothly as it does. Every day, the CC-130 Hercules are readied for their flights into Afghanistan. On the days that the aircraft fly, everyone in the air and on the ground puts their faith in the skills of these professionals, and an extremely durable, well-designed aircraft that is superbly maintained and supported by the Canadian Forces personnel at Camp Mirage.

Watching everyone in the TSE work so hard to support flights in and out of Afghanistan is to witness the unit’s motto in action – “One team – one mission.”

Capt Moore is an Aircraft Commander with the TSE.