Photo By Cpl. Christopher Johns | A CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 "Heavy Haulers," 3rd...... read more read more
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EL CENTRO, Calif. – The whirring of six rotary blades shook the aircraft as it trundled down the taxi lane. A second CH-53E Super Stallion followed at a safe distance, stopping when the section leader did.
During takeoff, a sudden weightless feeling hit the crew, followed by the weight of gravity pushing against the mighty aircraft when it took to the sky – training for confined area landings with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 "Heavy Haulers," 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Nov. 29, had commenced.
“We train for (confined area landings) every flight,” said Capt. Nick Harvey, a Super Stallion pilot with the Heavy Haulers and an Oak Harbor, Wash., native. “Our job is to take Marines into a specific zone and land when we have to land, or we’ve failed our mission and put ourselves and others in jeopardy.”
Their destination was a desert-like area just outside of El Centro, Calif., where conditions are similar to those of Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Right now, landing conditions in green zones are in poppy fields or grass or in open deserts,” said Harvey. “We practice a lot more in the desert, so when we kick up dust (like in Afghanistan), we have that practice ensuring we can land when we need to every single time.”
Clouds passed beneath the hull of the rotary wing giant, more than 100 feet long and 46,000 pounds, sometimes carrying 20,000 pounds in supplies, equipment or Marines ready to insert into an objective point.
During the flight to the landing zone, the small aircraft formation passed close to air space above Imperial County Airport, Imperial, Calif., putting crew chiefs and their peers in the back of the aircraft on higher alert.
“During the flight we watch the skies for other aircraft we may encounter and steer our pilots away from them or alert them to another aircrafts presence,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Guevara, a quality assurance representative and crew chief with HMH-462 and a Cottage Grove, Ore., native. “Not all forward operation bases have established airfields. I’ve been to FOBs where their landing area was a blocked off two-lane road, and we had to land there. I’ve also been to places in Iraq where they throw down some gravel behind razor wire a little ways from some ply-wood buildings and expect you land safely there.”
Once in the landing zone the first objective area came into sight. The pilots angled their aircraft toward the point and circled the objective area slowly, as crew chiefs scanned for danger and safe positions for their Super Stallion.
“We have more than 100 feet of bird to maneuver and land safely without hitting anything around us,” said Guevara. “We help scan for threats and help the pilots navigate while they fly. We also keep watch for check points along the way while maintaining the aircraft, so we can land and lift off safely.”
The Super Stallions came to a hover with crew chiefs guiding them safely to the ground, throwing huge clouds of dust into the air.
“We can’t come in for a landing, decide we don’t like it, then wave off,” said Harvey. “Waving off like that exposes us to enemy fire and in turn, the Marines we’re transporting. Not landing the first time and having to come back for another try gives away the element of surprise, which may be crucial to the mission.”
After they circled and landed four times, the small formation maked its way back to MCAS Miramar to debrief and learn more from the training and each other – their training mission accomplished.
| Date Taken: | 11.29.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 11.30.2012 17:22 |
| Story ID: | 98578 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 197 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Every landing counts: Heavy Haulers refine basics, by Cpl Christopher Johns, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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