Big choppers rule the night

Courtesy Photo | LSA ANACONDA, Iraq - A CH-47 Chinook pilot adjusts his night vision goggles before flying a night mission.  

BALAD, IRAQ

01.27.2006

Courtesy Story

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By Sgt. Susan Redwine
159th CAB PAO

LSA Anaconda, Iraq " The UH-60 Blackhawk may be the most ubiquitous helicopter in the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, but the Chinook arguably has the most versatile mission. That keeps the brigade's only Chinook unit, Company B, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, busy and flying.

The mission of the unit is to provide general support to units in theater by flying passengers and cargo in order to keep convoys off the ground and out of the way of IEDs, said Chief Warrant Officer Joe Mosher, Chinook pilot for the company.

"We can do everything from carrying 40 Joes in the back, two humvees, big Air Force pallets, fuel blivets, stretchers, ammo, parts and external sling loads," said Capt. Jeff Winston, Chinook pilot with the company.

When the load is too big or heavy for smaller helicopters, Company B is there to haul.

"We're always there to get the big stuff," Winston said. "Stuff that would take six Blackhawks, we can do with two Hooks [Chinooks]."

The unit, which flies mainly at night " only test flights are conducted during the day " has an important mission, Mosher said.

"If we don't move passengers or cargo, it means it has to go on the ground and risks and IED attack," he said.

"We're not 100 percent safer, but I think we're saving lives by flying and not driving," he added.

The unit flies nightly throughout the country; a typical mission is between two and four hours long and has about three stops, Winston said. There are usually about two different missions a night.

The challenges of flying at night include the risk of encountering visual illusions and spatial disorientation, said Mosher. Also, since the helicopters fly without lights on, it's harder seeing other aircraft, he said.

"You have to be more vigilant while flying," Mosher said. "You have to scan your sector to make sure nothing is out there."

The pilots and crews use night vision goggles, which takes practice getting used to.

Training progressions using the goggles are required before pilots are allowed to fly missions.

"It takes about 10 flight hours before you get used to wearing NVGs," said Sgt. T.J. Heatherly, Chinook crew chief.

Part of the unit's success is due to the fact that many of the Soldiers have been in the company for awhile, Heatherly said. The Soldiers know each other and work well together.

The unit's cohesiveness is an asset when dealing with other units. According to Winston, the Blackhawk has the reputation of being newer, "cooler", and generally more capable, but the Chinook can still fly faster and carry more.

"We can fly faster fully loaded than they can completely empty," he said.

The nature of the rivalry between pilots and crews of the different helicopters is good-natured ribbing, Winston said.

"We joke with them a lot," he said. "They give us a hard time; we give them a hard time, but it's all in good fun."

• Date Taken: 01.27.2006
• Date Posted: 01.27.2006 10:17
• Story ID: 5228
• Location: BALAD, IQ