Courtesy Photo | Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen Helton, the command sergeant major of Task Force Saber and...... read more read more
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FORT CARSON, Colo. - Soldiers from Task Force Saber, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division conducted High Altitude Mountainous Environmental Training Strategy (HAMETS) from Nov. 26 to Dec. 13 at Fort Carson, Colo.
The task force, which consists of members from the various battalions within 1st CAB, conducted the training in anticipation for a deployment to Afghanistan. The training provided TF Saber pilots an opportunity to work in a similar environment to what they will face downrange.
“Coming here in the mountains, flying at 12,000, 14,000 feet, helps us replicate what we might have to encounter in Afghanistan,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Dwayne Williams, a Black Hawk pilot assigned to TF Saber. “We come up here to be more precise in our flying abilities.”
Pilots first conducted individual training that focused on improving their personal skills and giving them an understanding for how their aircraft will behave in higher elevations.
“It gives you a lot of awareness of what’s going on and how weather can really affect and change what you have to do in the mountain areas,” said 1st Lt. Andres Pazmin, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot assigned to TF Saber.
After pilots were qualified individually, the focus shifted to collective training. Task Force Saber is made up of OH-58 Kiowa helicopters, AH-64 Apache helicopters and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, which operated in close proximity to each other, refining the proficiency needed by the pilots for success.
The improved capabilities of TF Saber will be beneficial to soldiers on the ground who are supported by the task force during deployment. Ground forces can be confident that their air assets will provide the best support possible.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jereme Leason, a Kiowa pilot assigned to TF Saber, said that soldiers on the ground and pilots in the air share similar risks when executing missions. “We put ourselves in harm’s way; we know they do too,” he said.
Training at Fort Carson provided a similar environment to Afghanistan, giving pilots an idea of what they will be capable of doing in support of missions downrange.
“After two weeks of being here, I feel completely confident in flying in the mountains,” Leason said. “And not only that, I can use it to my advantage when making an approach to a landing on one of those peaks.”
| Date Taken: | 01.03.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2013 12:28 |
| Story ID: | 100087 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 166 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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