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SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - As the sun rose over the air base
tarmac like it does every morning, one could feel a sense of
anticipation but yet also sorrow at the same time. Pilots and crew
chiefs performed their normal checks, filled out their paperwork and
readied themselves for another day of flying. But this day wasn't
just any other day. This day would be a day of goodbyes.
May
28, 2014, marked a new chapter in the history of Bravo Company,
1-228th Aviation Regiment and the end of an era for Army aviation as
two CH-47D Chinooks, wet with the dew from the morning air drying in
the sun, awaited their final mission - a mission that would send
them to retirement. The 1-228th said farewell to the CH-47Ds as they
prepared to transition to the CH-47F model. The 1-228th was the last
active duty unit in the Army to fly these historic behemoths, which
began their service during the 11200s.
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A new CH-47F Chinook helicopter flies
off the coast of Belize June 21, 2014, on the way to its new home
with the 1-228th Aviation Regiment at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras.
The 1-228th Aviation Regiment transitioned to the new air frame from
the CH-47D after being the last active duty unit in the Army to fly
the historic behemoths, which began their service during the 11200s.
(Courtesy photo)
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The aircrews of Bravo Company flew the Chinooks from
Honduras all the way to Delaware in a 17-hour stretch over
the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and finally up the United
States' eastern coast where the air frames would either be
sold at government auctions or stripped of all parts that
can be used on the new CH-47F and then eventually scrapped.
U.S. Army Capt. Darin Hunter, CH-47D pilot and Bravo
Company commander, takes pride in the fact that they got to
play a small role in ushering in the end of an era.
"Our crews thought that it was a unique and historic
experience," stated Hunter. "I think that we were lucky to
have the opportunity to crew these particular aircraft that
have served our country well over the past 20 plus years on
their last flight on active service."
One aircraft in
particular, affectionately known as "638," was the oldest
active Chinook in the Army's inventory and carried a storied
past with it through the years.
"One of our CH-47Ds
that was turned in (tail number 638) flew in Vietnam and was
brought down by enemy fire during that conflict," declared
U. S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Dynelle Pierre, lead
planner for the mission and Bravo Company mission
survivability officer.
During the flight to Delaware,
the planned route happened to go past Washington, so the
crews were able to give a special tribute to the retiring
Chinooks and the current and past crews who flew them.
"Our planned flight route from Honduras to the
designated turn-in location in Delaware happened to take us
past Washington, D.C., and we did a little extra
coordination to fly up the Potomac River past the Pentagon,
Arlington National Cemetery, and many of the monuments in
the national mall - something that not every military pilot
gets to do in their career," added Pierre. "I believe that
it was a fitting retirement for these aircraft and a small
tribute to the many dedicated and professional air crews
that have served our country so well over the years."
Now that the 1-228th Aviation Regiment has the latest
evolution of the Chinook helicopter, they are now able to
provide aviation support for more types of missions safer
and at reduced maintenance and operational costs.
"The most noticeable improvement is the upgraded cockpit, which
includes a digital data bus that permits installation of enhanced
communications and navigation equipment," said Hunter. "This new
avionics architecture gives our aircrews more situational awareness
and improves mission performance."
The aircraft also comes
standard with a new cargo handling system that more closely
resembles what one would typically see on a U.S. Air Force cargo
plane and can accommodate a wide range of cargo. The floor of the
CH-47F now has built-in cargo rollers that can be quickly deployed
or stowed to allow for rapid reconfiguration of the cargo
compartment. The new system significantly reduces the time required
for flight engineers and crew chiefs to re-configure the aircraft
when mission changes occur.
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A new CH-47F Chinook helicopter
receives a "bird bath" from the Soto Cano Air Base Fire Department
June 21, 2014, after landing in Honduras for the first time. The
1-228th Aviation Regiment transitioned to the new air frame from the
CH-47D after being the last active duty unit in the Army to fly the
historic behemoths, which began their service during the 11200s.
(Photo by U.S. Air National Guard Capt. Steven Stubbs)
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All of the aircrew members were actually qualified on the
CH-47F from previous assignments, but had to receive
refresher training to get current in the new aircraft. As
part of the fielding plan, they flew the CH-47D aircraft
from Honduras to Delaware, received the refresher training
in Georgia and then flew the brand-new CH-47Fs from Georgia
back down to Honduras in two separate waves.
"These
long-distance flights were a great opportunity for us to get
re-acquainted with the new aircraft and systems again. We
conducted the flight in two waves to ensure that we could
still provide mission support here in Central America during
the turn-in process, which was definitely a test of our
company's abilities," said Pierre.
In total, the
pilots and crew members of B Company flew over 6,200
nautical miles, to include over 4,000 nautical miles of
over-water flight, to accomplish the mission.
"To say
that the crews performed admirably during this
logistically-complex operation is an understatement," added
Hunter. "We are now looking forward to putting the aircraft
to use supporting our higher headquarters' diverse mission
set here in Central America."
The 1-228th Aviation
Regiment, under U.S. Army South, has directly supported the
U.S. Southern Command's engagement and security cooperation
strategy. This one-of-a-kind battalion provides heavy lift,
medical evacuation, general aviation and VIP support
spanning the area of responsibility in support of Joint Task
Force-Bravo. The regiment has actively participated in
counter narcotics missions and humanitarian
assistance/disaster relief support throughout Central
America.
By U.S. Air National Guard Capt. Steven Stubbs
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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