Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army Warrant Officer 4 Kenneth Brodhead, a helicopter instructor pilot with...... read more read more
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PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Chief Warrant Officer 4 Kenneth Brodhead, an instructor pilot, reached the 5,000 flight hour milestone, Feb. 15, while flying a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter with Company C Dustoff, Task Force Phoenix, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Falcon.
Brodhead, from Homestead, Fla., was drawn toward aviation at a young age. He remembers the excitement of watching a helicopter land at his school when he was in third grade.
“I thought that the helicopter was the most amazing contraption ever conceived,” he said.
Some of Brodhead’s earliest memories involving aircraft are those of watching his grandfather, a World War II P-38 Lightning pilot, building aircraft and flying with him.
Though he joined the Army as a tuba player, after eight years, Brodhead decided to pursue his dream of flying helicopters.
In 1995, Brodhead became a warrant officer in pursuit of flying rotary wing aircraft for the Army.
In 2007, Brodhead landed his helicopter at his child’s school.
“I had a great time,” he said with a smile. “I would bet one or more kids at that school were inspired to someday fly helicopters from that visit.”
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Allan Mace, maintenance test pilot in Company C Dustoff, TF Phoenix, 10th CAB, TF Falcon, has known Brodhead since their 2007 deployment to Bagram. He characterizes Brodhead as a man who stays calm, is exact and patient.
“When someone asks me about Kenny; about his personality, his experience, and his accomplishments, I can only think of one thing – unique,” said Mace, a native of Sacramento, Calif. “At first glance, you see a hardened aviator who probably would not stand for a lot of nonsense, who could be uncompromising, and only focused on the mission. I would honestly submit he's far from that tough exterior. His teaching style not only increased the unit's ability to become mission focused, he also allowed junior and senior aviators alike to think and act beyond the confines of their box.”
On Feb. 15, sixteen years after joining the warrant officer corps, Brodhead reached the flying milestone of 5,000 flight hours. Brodhead, who never turns down the opportunity to fly, is serving on his third aviation deployment; all with the 10th CAB. He plans to retire upon the unit’s return from Afghanistan.
Brodhead reflects on his time spent in the air with great enthusiasm.
“Every hour was flown as a member of a team, and I have been lucky enough to fly with hundreds of pilots, crew chiefs and medics over the past 16 years,” said Brodhead. “I have seen so many wonderful things from the cockpit of helicopters such as volcanoes in Hawaii, the Alps of Germany, the Grand Canyon, downtown Los Angeles, and the incredible panorama of Afghanistan.”
He asserts he is just doing what was once done for him – passing along knowledge.
“I am just a link in the perpetual chain of experience,” he explains. “I have simply passed on that which was given to me from those who taught me. My pilots in this company are smart and skilled, and I will be able to retire with confidence, knowing that they will prepare the next generation of pilots, continuing that chain.”
He said he has learned a lot over his 16 years as a pilot from how to approach soldiers when giving instruction to knowing his own personal limitations.
“Teaching adults can be real tricky,” said Brodhead, “An effective instructor pilot needs to be, among other things, a bit of a practical psychologist. Every person learns differently. I learned what I can and cannot expect from myself. I also learned that though the world can sometimes be ugly up close, it is always beautiful when you step back a few hundred feet.”
Brodhead says he is proud to know he has passed along information that helped less experienced pilots overcome challenging situations, perform better and grow as aviators.
Brodhead plans to continue sharing knowledge as an elementary teacher after retirement.
Brodhead says his most memorable experiences as an Army pilot involve children.
“I have flown sick or injured children to hospitals in California, Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Brodhead. “I am exceptionally sensitive when it comes to children. My own twin boys are alive today in part because a medevac crew was there to take my wife to a major medical center 180 miles away from the remote installation we called home. To me, all children are pure and wonderful and I will go to great lengths to help a child. At my age, I see the soldiers we transport as kids. I always think as a dad and it pleases me that we are doing this service (as a medevac crew) for the dads back home.”
Brodhead is a soldier who loves to fly – claiming each day is as exciting as the very first. Mace acknowledges Brodhead’s enthusiasm for his profession.
“With a touch of sarcasm and a twist of humor, people look beyond the superficial shell of the seasoned aviator and learn and love to fly just as he does,” said Mace. “It is this love of flying that has allowed him to fly more than 5,000 hours, equating to over 208 days sitting in one position, manipulating his mechanical beast, commanding it to do his will. It's the passion and the sense of freedom that has allowed him to strive beyond what most aviators only wish they could accomplish in their career.”
| Date Taken: | 02.25.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2011 15:05 |
| Story ID: | 66022 |
| Location: | PARWAN PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 196 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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