Adventure through the viewfinder

Photo By Jacob Bertram | A crew chief assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 overlooks his surroundings during a flight on an MV-22 Osprey, North Carolina, Sept. 25, 2021. This flight was in support of the Marine Air Ground Task Force demonstration during the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Air Show and 80th Anniversary Celebration. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacob Bertram)  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, UNITED STATES

09.25.2021

Story by Lance Cpl. Jacob Bertram 

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

Watching an air show from a crowd on the side lines is definitely entertaining. However flying in and landing as part of an air show is something else entirely.
As a Communication Strategy and Operations (COMMSTRAT) Marine the majority of my time is spent behind the camera, seeing the world around me through the viewfinder. My Marine Corps experience up to late September had me seeing my world a bit squarely. Then a short notice assignment came my way and I found myself flying high in an MV-22 Osprey during the 2021 Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Air Show and 80th Anniversary Celebration.
I had the fortunate opportunity to cover the Marine Air Ground Task Force demonstration (MAGTF). The MAGTF serves as the Corps’ principal organizational structure – which specializes in combined-arms tactics utilizing command, ground, aviation and logistics combat elements. The demonstration featured ground troops landing under the cover of close air support and assaulting an objective that laid on the other side of the gathered crowd.
Initially I believed I’d just be documenting the event from the air, thousands of feet away from the audience. The day prior to the air show, I was in for a surprise. I learned not only was I to document the event from the inside of the aircraft, but also I was to play a part in the demonstration itself, in front of hundreds of guests.
On the opening day of the air show, I found myself laid back in the grass along an empty stretch of runway with approximately 30 other Marines revved up to perform their own roles in the demonstration. With the air show happening a few hundred meters away, the skies were roaring with the sound of the aerial demonstrations. I however, was keeping my ears peeled for one specific aircraft: The distinctive air chopping sound of the MV-22 Osprey.
After being on stand-by for a considerable amount of time, two Ospreys and a CH-53 Super Stallion broke over the tree line above me. Landing a short distance away, the rotor wash hit us showering us with dust, a good reminder to put on your eye protection. We divided into three groups, one for each aircraft, and headed towards the ramp of our assigned bird in a single-file line.
Boarding the oddly shaped aircraft, I was afforded the opportunity to be put in a rigger’s belt by the crew chief. This allowed me to stay on the back ramp of the aircraft, giving me a bird’s eye view of my surroundings. With creaks and moans from the aircraft we lifted off and headed for Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue, North Carolina. Here we circled high in the air for what felt like hours. I wasn’t complaining though, I would’ve stayed up there all day if that’s what was needed. Sitting with my toes on the edge of the ramp, I had the best view of Eastern North Carolina that there is.
Thousands of feet above the rolling coastline and small islands that inhabited the marsh lands beneath me, I quite literally had my head in the clouds. In that moment I truly appreciated my job.
I thought of all the people that would never get to see what I was seeing. All the events in my past that had led to me sitting there and getting to do what I was doing. I was living entirely in that moment. Of course knowing that what goes up, must come down, I was taking it all in while I could. I’ll never know the next time I’ll be flying in an Osprey.
Eventually we dropped in altitude and pulled away from the holding pattern in which we’d been in. Soon enough I knew we’d be center stage. With the aircraft just above the treetops, we sped back towards Cherry Point. I grabbed my camera, adjusted its settings to the outside and got back into my seat. I looked around at the Marines all strapped into their seats, anxiously waiting to do what they came for. Once we landed, it was a race to unbuckle, run off the ramp and get into a perimeter facing towards the massive crowd that was rife with excitement.
Despite the sounds of the Ospreys and CH-53 beating the air and the distance from the crowd, I could hear the audience cheering. Once we were all on line, our assigned group leader gave the signal to rush towards the crowd.
Sprinting and trying to take photos at the same time isn’t easy; it takes a lot of focus to get that perfect picture. I took as many as I could manage, accuracy through volume I suppose. After the considerably exhausting run, we reached the crowd line.
Taken aback by the amount of people cheering us on, I tried to focus on my craft instead of the rush of adrenaline. I had ridden in an Osprey once, the day before. For some this may be run-of-the-mill and boring, but it was a new and thrilling experience for me.
We stayed only for a few minutes, but time slowed as we walked down the line, giving fist-bumps and high-fives to the children anxiously waiting for us by the barrier. It was a hero’s welcome. I don’t believe I’d ever given out so many high-fives.
Looking back on that day, I can only wonder: When will I get to fly again?

• Date Taken: 09.25.2021
• Date Posted: 10.19.2021 12:01
• Story ID: 407531
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US