Photo By Capt. Emerson Marcus | Aircrew from the 152nd Airlift Wing, of Reno, Nevada, perform water training drops...... read more read more
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Two years after being named the newest military C-130 unit to operate the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System for wildland firefighting, aircrew from the 152nd Airlift Wing, of Reno, Nevada, achieved their training objectives for certification at McClellan Reload Base last month during their annual training.
During firefighting and training in previous years, instructor pilots or aircraft commanders from other MAFFS-equipped units were required to fly with 152nd Airmen.
“Before we conducted this year's training, we had an ambitious plan to complete all upgrades one day prior to the end of the training, in order to perform a 100 percent Reno aircrew training drop this training,” said Major Joseph Jaquish, a 152nd Airlift Wing pilot and aircraft commander. “The training went so smooth thanks to all functions involved that we completely met our objective. On the last day, all of our new aircraft commanders performed training water drops with all Reno crewmembers in the aircraft.”
The Reno MAFFS team, known as the “High Rollers,” for the moniker that appears on the tail flash of the unit’s C-130 aircraft, is set to operate autonomous firefighting missions this year — the first year since the National Guard Bureau assigned the unit MAFFS in 2016, Jaquish said.
During the training April 23 to 27 the 152nd's four MAFFS crews conducted more than 100 water drops and flew 36 sorties. Four new aircraft commanders were upgraded to fly without supervision from other MAFFS units.
“Completion of the training last week marks another significant milestone since the High Rollers were designated as a MAFFS wing two years ago,” said Col. Anthony Machabee, the 152nd Operations Group commander. “This year will be the first year ever Nevada Herks will be crewed entirely by Nevada crew members while fighting wildland fires. We are all very excited and honored to do so.”
A handful of Reno aircrew positions made the transition from operational support to instructor roles capable of readying new recruits for firefighting operations to include two instructor loadmasters, one instructor flight engineer and one instructor navigator.
“This is a huge right-of-passage,” Jaquish said. “Our own MAFFS High Rollers will now develop a new generation of MAFFS crew members.”
Reno is one of four C-130 military units that operates MAAFS. In addition to the 152nd, participating wings include two other Air National Guard units — 146th Airlift Wing from Port Hueneme, California; 153rd Airlift Wing from Cheyenne, Wyoming — and the Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing from Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
The military’s role in MAFFS missions is to provide surge support to the Forest Service and its contractors.
The Forest Service’s large MAFFS equipment — rolled into the back of a C-130 aircraft — can drop up to 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in six seconds through a nozzle on the rear left side of the plane.
MAFFS aircraft are activated to supplement commercial air tankers contracted by the USDA Forest Service during periods of high wildfire activity throughout the nation.
In the past decade, military C-130s equipped with MAFFS delivered more than 8 million gallons of fire retardant to aid in the suppression of wildfires around the U.S.
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2018 17:45 |
| Story ID: | 275913 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 527 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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