Photo By Sgt. Keven Parry | An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter with an instructor pilot (left) and an incentive flight...... read more read more
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JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Soldiers with the 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division had the opportunity to ride in the aircraft they support during the squadron’s gunnery exercises Sept. 24 on Fort Riley.
The squadron provided incentive flights to more than 10 soldiers who had worked exceptionally hard throughout the three weeks that the squadron had been conducting gunnery, said Capt. Stephen Dilorenzo, the assistant operations officer with 1-6 Cavalry.
“It’s good for them to see what we go through, and it’s a good reward for them,” Dilorenzo said.
Incentive flights in the OH-58D Kiowa helicopter allow soldiers to ride in one of the pilot seats while an experienced instructor pilot flies the aircraft. The soldiers get to see what the pilots see, listen to in flight communications, and feel what it’s like to be in the Kiowa while it flies.
“Being up there, seeing all the scenery and all that - there’s nothing like it,” said Pfc. Antwan Mease, a Kiowa crew chief with Troop B, 1-6 Cavalry.
For Mease, sitting in an airborne Kiowa helps add to the satisfaction he feels in the work he does.
“Being able to go up and see what the pilot goes through and all that, and seeing all your work pay off, it just makes you feel honored,” he said.
Although Mease had prior experience flying in a Kiowa, the incentive flights were a first time experience for many "Fighting Sixth" soldiers. Spc. Victoria Nuckols, an intelligence analyst with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1-6 Cavalry, said she had worked for the unit for three years before this opportunity came.
“I’ve always wanted to ride one. And I finally got the opportunity to do it, so I took it,” Nuckols said. “I’m thankful that I got this opportunity.”
In addition to the thrill of experiencing a Kiowa in flight, the incentive flights added to the bond between the pilots and the soldiers who support them. Dilorenzo, who is a Kiowa pilot himself, said that the incentive flights give soldiers a piloting perspective.
“They’re able to relate with what we do and they can see it from our perspective and not from the ground,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 10.08.2012 22:55 |
| Story ID: | 95858 |
| Location: | JUNCTION CITY, KANSAS, US |
| Hometown: | DILLWYN, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | GRETNA, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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