Vol en Afghanistan en Hercule

awol · Post by **awol** » Wed 06 Sep, 2006 21:02

Désolé pour l'anglais

C-130 pilot comments.

Here is a little taste of what us Aircrew go through every time we have to bring shit over to the Hell Hole of the world.
Hope you enjoy the read.

There I was at six thousand feet over central Afghanistan, two hundred
eighty knots and we're dropping faster than Paris Hilton's panties. It's a
typical September evening in the OMAN Gulf; hotter than a rectal
thermometer and I'm sweating like a priest at a Cub Scout meeting. But
that's neither here nor there. The night is moonless over Kandahar tonight,
and blacker than a Steven King novel. But it's 2004, folks, and I'm sporting
the latest in night-combat technology - namely, hand-me-down night vision
goggles (NVGs) thrown out by the fighter boys.

Additionally, my 1962 Lockheed C-130E Hercules is equipped with an
obsolete, yet, semi-effective missile warning system (MWS). The MWS
conveniently makes a nice soothing tone in your headset just before the
missile explodes into your airplane.

Who says you can't polish a turd?

At any rate, the NVGs are illuminating Kandahar International Airport like
the Las Vegas Strip during a Mike Tyson fight. These NVGs are the cat's
ass. But I've digressed. The preferred method of approach
tonight is the random shallow. This tactical maneuver allows the pilot to
ingress the landing zone in an unpredictable manner, thus exploiting the
supposedly secured perimeter of the airfield in an attempt to avoid enemy
surface-to- air-missiles and small arms fire. Personally, I wouldn't bet my
pink ass on that theory, but We get a visual on the runway at three
miles out, drop down to one thousand feet above the ground, still
maintaining two hundred eighty knots.

Now the fun starts. It's pilot appreciation time as I descend the mighty
Herc to six hundred feet and smoothly, yet very deliberately, yank into a
sixty degree left bank, turning the aircraft ninety degrees offset from
runway heading. As soon as we roll out of the turn, I reverse turn to the
right a full two hundred seventy degrees in order to roll out aligned with
the runway. Some aeronautical genius coined this maneuver the "Ninety/Two-
Seventy." Chopping the power during the turn, I pull back on the yoke just
to the point my Balls start to sag, bleeding off energy in order to
configure this pig for a landing. "Flaps Fifty!, Landing Gear Down!, Before
Landing Checklist!" I look over at the co-pilot and he's shaking like a cat
taking a shit on a sheet of ice. Looking further back at the navigator, and even
through the NVGs, I can clearly see the wet spot spreading around his
crotch. Finally, I glance at my steely-eyed flight engineer. His eyebrows
rise in unison as a grin forms on his face. I can tell he's thinking the
same thing I am.... "Where do we find such fine young men?"

"Flaps One Hundred!" I bark at the shaking cat. Now it's all aim-point
and airspeed. Aviation 101, with the exception there' are no lights, I'm on
NVGs, it's Kandahar, and now tracers are starting to crisscross the black
sky. Naturally, and not at all surprisingly, I grease the Goodyear's on brick-
one of runway 33 left, bring the throttles to ground idle and then force the
props to full reverse pitch. Tonight, the sound of freedom is my four
Hamilton Standard propellers chewing through the thick, putrid, Kandahar air.
The huge, one hundred thirty thousand pound, lumbering whisper pig comes
to a lurching stop in less than two thousand feet.

Now Let's see a Fighter Jet do that!

We exit the runway to a welcoming committee of government issued Army
grunts. It's time to download their beans and bullets and letters from their
sweethearts, look for war booty, and of course, urinate on Osama Bin Lada's home.
Walking down the crew entry steps with my lowest- bidder, Browning, 9
millimeter strapped smartly to my side, look around and thank God, not
Allah, I'm a Canadian and I'm on the winning team. Then I thank God I'm
not in the Army. Knowing once again I've cheated death, I ask myself, "What in
the hell am I doing in this mess?" Is it Duty, Honor, and Country? You bet
your ass. Or could it possibly be for the glory, the swag, and not to
mention, chicks dig the Air Medal. There's probably some truth there too.
But now is not the time to derive the complexities of the superior,
cerebral properties of the human portion of the aviator-man-machine
model. It is however, time to get out of this shit-hole. Hey co-pilot,
clean yourself up! And how's ' bout the ' Before Starting Engines Checklist."

God, I love this job!"

Dick Delaney

OlivierC-FWOL · Post by **OlivierC-FWOL** » Wed 06 Sep, 2006 21:17

Woo!

:D

MichelC · Post by **MichelC** » Thu 07 Sep, 2006 08:42

Un ti-peu plus excitant que d'atterrir mon 140 de nuit sans lumières à SK3... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Michel C-GNCJ

OlivierC-FWOL · Post by **OlivierC-FWOL** » Thu 07 Sep, 2006 08:43

:shock:

Tu fais ça toi Michel!

:lol: :lol:

snowman. · Post by **snowman.** » Thu 07 Sep, 2006 12:27

Michel C-GNCJ wrote:Un ti-peu plus excitant que d'atterrir mon 140 de nuit sans lumières à SK3... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Michel C-GNCJ

SM3( st-michel des saint) de nuit ressemble étrangement a l'afganistan... :wink:

martin :wink:

treer1 · Post by **treer1** » Thu 07 Sep, 2006 12:40

snowman wrote:
Michel C-GNCJ wrote:Un ti-peu plus excitant que d'atterrir mon 140 de nuit sans lumières à SK3... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Michel C-GNCJ

SM3( st-michel des saint) de nuit ressemble étrangement a l'afganistan... :wink:

martin :wink:

Pourquoi :?: Il y a t'il des chasseurs qui te prennent pour une outarde et te tire dessus... :lol: ton commentaire est peut-être bon pour ce qui est du paysage en SM3 la nuit et l'afganistan... mais au moins la guerre est pas pogné à SM3. Donc au moin t'a pas le stress de servir de cible de tire pour le camp ennemi :roll:

Bye
treer1
Eric Tremblay

snowman. · Post by **snowman.** » Thu 07 Sep, 2006 18:16

Non...peut etre, :roll:mais t'as t'une juste une idée de la dope qui transite par SM3... :idea:

Martin 8)

P.S. vient faire du rase mot au dessus des champs de blé d'inde par les temps qui courrent ... :roll: des terroriste québécois tu trouveras... :lol: :lol: :lol:

treer1 · Post by **treer1** » Fri 08 Sep, 2006 08:22

snowman wrote:Non...peut etre, :roll:mais t'as t'une juste une idée de la dope qui transite par SM3... :idea:

Martin 8)

P.S. vient faire du rase mot au dessus des champs de blé d'inde par les temps qui courrent ... :roll: des terroriste québécois tu trouveras... :lol: :lol: :lol:

à regarder les nouvelles hier soir.... des policiers et des militaires aussi du trouveras :lol: :lol: :lol:

Bye
treer1
Eric Tremblay

snowman. · Post by **snowman.** » Fri 08 Sep, 2006 19:00

:wink:

martin 8)

Herk · Post by **Herk** » Fri 08 Sep, 2006 20:49

Au moins il volait cette journée là cet avion! Depuis une semaine mon vol pour Thule (Groenland) a été retardé 4 fois!! La dernière fois la rampe ne voulait pas ouvrir. Notre flotte est vraiment agée :roll: J'ai hâte de voir les C-17!! :D

Voici un incident qui est arrivé en afghanistant... le crew a eu chaud je croit!

Type: CC130 Near Controled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Date: 29 July 2003

Location: 20 NM SW of Kabul

The incident crew consisted of an Aircraft Commander in the left seat, the First Officer in the right seat, Navigator, Flight Engineer, and two Loadmasters. The incident flight took off from Kabul International Airport (OAKB) on 29 July 2003 at 0505Z (0935L) via a planned low-level tactical departure. The crew planned to transit from OAKB at 200 feet MSD in order to avoid any potential threat from MANPADs (man portable anti-aircraft devices).

The crew passed turn point #1 without incident. A 75° turn to the right was commenced when the crew passed turn point #2 in order to place the aircraft on the proper track towards turn point #3.

The First Officer (FO) voiced his concerns about the aircraft's position after about 120° of turn. The Aircraft Commander (AC) rolled the aircraft level after approximately 180° of turn, by which time the aircraft was heading back towards Kabul.

At this point the crew planned to regain track by entering a valley on their left and climbing to a minimum safe altitude of at least 12000 feet ASL in order to cross the ridge at the end of the valley. The crew soon realized that that they would be unable to climb to the minimum safe altitude, or even to clear the ridge. The AC decided to carry out a right 180° turn to exit the valley.

The crew became aware of a previously unseen finger ridge approximately 60° into the turn around manoeuvre. This ridge immediately became a controlling obstacle, effectively reducing the valley's width by 50%.

The AC increased the bank angle and the G load until the stall buffet was encountered, at which time backpressure and bank angle were reduced. The aircraft cleared the ridge and exited the valley. The aircraft's flaps remained retracted throughout the turn around.

The crew carried out a climbing right turn over the lowlands West of Kabul before proceeding on course. There were no further incidents on the return leg to Camp Mirage.

The incident is under investigation by DFS due to accident potential and possible human factors implications.

Ref: http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/dfs/do ... 0327_e.asp

Steve