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    Scott hosts first-ever jump into new drop zone

    Scott hosts first-ever jump into new drop zone

    Photo By Staff Sgt. Daniel Garcia | Master Sgt. Ed Dewejko, 19th Operational Support Squadron Survival, Evasion,...... read more read more

    SCOTT AFB, IL, UNITED STATES

    03.02.2017

    Story by Airman 1st Class Daniel Garcia 

    375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

    March 1 designated a first-ever milestone for the base when eight members from both Scott and Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas jumped from an Air National Guard C-130H into Scott’s flightline drop zone. While there have been live jumps at Scott before, this is the first into the recently created drop zone.
    Led by the 375th Operations Support Squadron, this first time use of Scott’s drop zone was the result of a two year initiative to increase the readiness of Scott Airmen and partners.
    “We are excited for the opportunity to work with the Total Force, sister services and Partner Nations who need a place to hone their combat skills,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Getty, 375th OSS commander.
    He explained that Scott AFB had not been previously considered a viable option for airborne drops because of the 375th AMW’s relatively small number of active jump personnel and the numerous restrictions that had been levied on airfield operations throughout the years.
    “We discovered that not only does the need for this type of capability extend well beyond the 375th AMW to many of our installation, regional and international partners, but also that our local procedures and services were not keeping pace with evolving mission sets,” Getty said.
    “As a result, operators have overlooked Scott when seeking to meet training requirements which, combined with reduced flying hours across the DoD and the reduction of home station aircraft, has eroded the proficiency of personnel who depend on aircraft operations to maintain their combat readiness. We found that it was taking our Airmen an inordinate amount of time to get up to speed in the deployed environment which is something we cannot afford.”
    Between 2010 and 2015, the airfield saw a roughly 40 percent drop in aircraft operations, however with initiatives such as the new drop zone, aircraft hot refueling and the removal of legacy airfield restrictions, the 375 OSS has increased operations by 63 percent in just the past 18 months—the No. 1 increase in Air Mobility Command.
    Maj. Ray Mamuad, a 375th OSS flight commander, added, “We plan to continue jump operations in the future and are excited to share this new capability with other organizations. In fact we have already scheduled a number of jumps this spring that will include Joint and Air Force units.”
    Jumpers included active duty personnel from the 375th OSS’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, or SERE, flight and members of Little Rock AFB’s 19th OSS, 19th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and the Reserves’ 913th OSS.
    For this mission and for a previous test drop mission in December, a C-130 from the 180th Airlift Squadron (ANG) in St. Joseph, Mo., provided the airlift.
    Tech. Sgt. Kyle Oler, Scott’s NCO of SERE operations, was instrumental in the coordination of this inaugural jump and said that the Scott DZ is perfect for units that need to practice static and freefall jumps.
    “This jump mission was a Total Force partnership that involved airlift from 180th Airlift Squadron from St. Joseph, Mo., Jump Master and Drop Zone Safety support from Little Rock AFB and organic assets from here at Scott,” Oler said.
    This jump also provided currency and proficiency for parachute riggers, jumpers, aircrew, air traffic controllers and a multitude of ancillary personnel supporting the mission.
    “(This jump) gave Scott Airmen great practical, live training,“ he said. “The team from Little Rock was instrumental in instructing our team on how to safely and effectively execute jump operations and I’m confident that we, along with our local airlift partners, can continue to provide this great capability to units across the region.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 03.02.2017
    Date Posted: 03.09.2017 11:52
    Story ID: 226300
    Location: SCOTT AFB, IL, US

    Web Views: 83
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN