Army aviator's career transitions with ceremonial last flight

Photo By Daniel Ewer | The 34th Combat Aviation Brigade said goodbye to one of its senior leaders Aug. 23 as Lt. Col. Eric Waage performed his ceremonial last flight at the Minnesota National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility in St. Paul, Minn.  

ST. PAUL, MN, UNITED STATES

08.23.2011

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Ewer 

Minnesota National Guard

SAINT PAUL, Minn -- The 34th Combat Aviation Brigade said goodbye to one of its senior leaders Tuesday as Lt. Col. Eric Waage, Plymouth native, performed his ceremonial last flight at the Minnesota National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility.

Family and friends gathered at Holman Field to witness Waage’s Black Hawk lift off for the last time. As the aircraft disappeared over the St. Paul horizon the onlookers settled in for the long wait for his return.

“I know he’s going to miss flying a lot,” said his wife Krismar. “I’m sure he’ll find a few toys to tinker with. He’s been looking at boats and has dreams of some day putting together a Piper Cub from a kit with our son, Anders.”

Waage’s UH-60 was manned by long-time friends Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jeff Pratt, state standardization instructor pilot, and Command Sgt. Maj. Kelly Fisher, 2nd Battalion, 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion. “These are guys I’ve been flying with for a long time,” said Waage. “That was nostalgic flying with them again.”

Waage began his aviation career flying UH-1H Hueys, AH-1 Cobras and CH-47 Chinooks as a copilot before changing over to over to Black Hawks. “I know I’ll miss flying a lot,” said Waage. “It’s been part of my life for 22 years.”

There are many memories over the years that stand out. Loosing a tail rotor, and being able to land the aircraft, is quite a story. “It was a night flight in a Huey up by Elk River,” said Waage. “The bird missed the windscreen, which was good, but it knocked off the tail rotor and gearbox. Even with the dramatic loss of weight, causing the aircraft to ‘teeter-totter,’ we were able to get the aircraft to the ground safely.”

“I really enjoyed counterdrug flying. Supporting law enforcement was really interesting, challenging flying,” said Waage. He found other mission types including fire fighting and flood response particularly gratifying. Search-and-rescue missions included the Katie Poirier, Dru Sjodin and Julie Holmquist searches.

In another instance Waage’s response to an emergency resulted in the saving of a life. During a Canadian border patrol mission, Waage’s crew came across a traffic accident where a gravel truck had struck a small car near Lake of the Woods, Minn. “People were motioning us to land,” said Waage. “They had just extricated her. Because it was an imminent threat to life we landed; they put her on the aircraft and we got her to the hospital. Evidently, that saved her life.”

Drawing upon years of community service, Waage will transition into his new role as the director of Emergency Management for Hennepin County. “My experience in the military helped lay the foundation for my ability to do that job,” said Waage.

He also gave kudos to the Army Aviation community in the Minnesota National Guard. “What got me in the door as a college kid was all the fancy equipment and aircraft, but it’s the people that kept me here,” said Waage. “The aviation community is fantastic. They’re very professional. The best pilots, the best mechanics and the best support and flight ops people you could meet. We saw that on the deployment. I always felt the aircraft were maintained really well and I was flying with top-notch people. You can’t ask any more than that!”

• Date Taken: 08.23.2011
• Date Posted: 09.06.2011 12:02
• Story ID: 76526
• Location: ST. PAUL, MN, US