Watch the deck

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jonathan Fernandez | Pilots from 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, a Florida National Guard unit, conduct deck landing qualifications on the USS Ponce, August 15 on the Arabian Gulf. USARCENT routinely conducts joint training to increase their ability to support ongoing and future operations.  

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

08.15.2016

Story by Sgt. Jonathan Fernandez 

U.S. Army Central   

ARABIAN GULF – A CH-47 Chinook helicopter flies over the USS Ponce in the clear, blue seas of the Arabian Gulf. The pilot keeps constant communication with crewmembers on board as he prepares to land on deck after flying in from the deep desert of Kuwait.
Aviators from 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, a Florida National Guard unit, qualified on landing their Chinook helicopters on the USS Ponce, August 15.
This qualification and exercise with the Navy helps broadens U.S. Army Central’s aviation capabilities, said Capt. Andrew Nestor, commander of Delta Company, 1-111th AR and native of St. Augustine, Florida.
The CH-47s can be used to resupply Army and Navy units out at sea.
“We can go out there and resupply them with fuel, ammo and food,” he said.
This training not only benefits Army pilots, but also allows Navy crewmembers to work with different types of aircraft, like CH-47s, said Chief Petty Officer Cory Schwisow, a Navy chief working aboard the Ponce.
“It really benefits both the Army and Navy,” said Schwisow. “It gives us the chance to practice with aircraft we don’t usually work with.”
Each pilot lands the helicopter on deck five times for a go/no-go rating. The detailed grading process, with commands from the air-traffic controller on board, ensures the pilots conduct the landing to standard.
The unit, after two days of qualifying, is better prepared to support the USARCENT and CENTCOM mission.
“We’re the second National Guard unit to be able to conduct these deck landing qualifications,” said Nestor. “It shows our proficiency as an aviation unit.”

• Date Taken: 08.15.2016
• Date Posted: 08.22.2016 11:25
• Story ID: 207852
• Location: CAMP ARIFJAN, KW