Articles

By Captain Nicole Meszaros, 8 Wing Public Affairs Officer

Taking a break in the warm morning sun of Afghanistan, Captain Gary Moore has already been at work for a couple of hours, preparing his CC-130 Hercules crew for a day of flying. The missions will include a flight to Kabul carrying VIPs and an airdrop of supplies.

The 436 Transport Squadron pilot from 8 Wing Trenton is deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan as part of the Tacical Airlift Unit (TAU) from Camp Mirage, the hub of Air Force operations in the campaign against terrorism in Afghanistan. 

Colonel Tom Lawson, Commander of 8 Wing Trenton, Chief Warrant Officer Tom Secretan, Wing Chief Warrant Officer and I visited Afghanistan recently to learn more about what our Canadian airmen and airwomen are doing in this dusty, beige land. After all, most of them are from our Wing.

Only the day before, Capt Moore had flown another airdrop mission with our Wing Commander, and myself on board as inquisitive passengers. It was a window on the world of tactical flying, and the machinations our Canadian Air Force personnel go through to avoid being shot at while delivering much-needed supplies.

"The way we fly, we've never been shot at," says Captain Gary Moore proudly and firmly.

I can imagine that they have never been shot at, I think to myself, as I recall my nauseating, tactical flight of the day before.  (Tactical flying is a low-level form of flying that allows crews to follow the landscape below, and adjust their altitude, speed, approach and defensive maneuvers accordingly. It is a highly specialized kind of flying that requires specially trained crews. It can be much like riding on a roller coaster.) Who in the world, I thought, could be agile or perceptive enough to shoot at a military transport plane as it turns right and then left amid sudden, alarming and gut-wrenching climbs and descents with surprising alacrity? I feel sick to my stomach again just thinking about it.

"Our operating procedures increase the element of surprise and decrease the risk of being shot at," says Capt Moore seriously. "While en route (to a drop), we employ tools to stay safe and these are our low-level, defensive tactics.

"It is not much different here than in training with the exception of an actual threat. Here our equipment may indicate a threat and we may need to respond to that but we are ready," he says calmly, sipping on some coffee.

In the cockpit all eyes, including those of Col Lawson, were intent on scoping the terrain, wondering if any of the shepherds we saw below were actually enemy forces, or just shepherds.

"It is essential that the team works well together," says Capt Moore. "Everybody has a part to play, especially during an airdrop. Without the team of six, the job would be much more difficult. Regardless of any conditions imposed on us, we are going to get the job done on time," he says.

Where does this winning attitude come from, I ask the pilot. "From the beginning of our tactical training, we stress the need to be on time and within an acceptable tolerance of where the load lands. We are prepared for these missions because of the training we have undertaken. We are the number one airlift guys here because we are reliable but we are really only doing what the Hercules are designed for," says Capt Moore, self-effacingly

Captain Moore explained what all the work they do boils down to - keeping Canadian Forces supplied and safe. "We eliminate the need for a convoy to travel dangerous roads to the Forward Operating Bases where there exists a history of being pirated, shot at, or killed. Not only are there risks to the drivers, but the cargo gets stolen, whereas with airdrop, the supplies get to where they need to be with decreased risk, and to those who need to have them."

In these bases are Coalition soldiers who are fighting, who need critical sustainment cargo. The convoys are dangerous for the drivers and may not result in the delivery of the goods to the troops. Airdrops keep our drivers safe, keep the troops supplied and keep these well-trained, dedicated professional aircrews doing what they do so well - tactical flying. I came away from my trip knowing these crews are so excited about what they are doing and why wouldn't they be?