CHAKLALA AIR FORCE BASE, Pakistan – Two UH-60 Black Hawks and one CH-47 Chinook arrived at Chaklala Air Force Base to aid the Pakistan government and military flood relief efforts. The aircraft are the first wave of a total 10 Chinooks and eight Black Hawks expected to arrive in country in the next week.
The aircraft will arrive at Chaklala AFB via Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy aircraft from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Pilots, maintainers, fuel technicians and various other support-function personnel will arrive along with the aircraft to get them up and running as quick as possible.
“We’ve been tasked to come down from Alaska to provide humanitarian assistance in conjunction with and in support of the Pakistani government,” said Lt. Col. John Polhamus, 16th CAB advanced party officer in charge. “Once we build up, we’ll be prepared to do the mission, and we’ll be in conjunction with the Pakistani government. Where they want the assistance, that’s where we’ll go.”
Getting the helicopters here and ready for flood relief missions is no simple task. Loading two helicopters and passengers onto a C-17 makes for a tight fit and an interesting experience, especially for Airman 1st Class Nicholas Kenny, a C-17 loadmaster stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, who experienced loading helicopters onto his aircraft for the first time.
It was pretty “nerve racking,” he said. “It’s my first time hauling these, so it’s been an interesting few days. It takes a lot to get them loaded. They’re real tight in there, especially carrying more than one in our aircraft… The Army guys we brought down here have definitely helped us out a whole lot. They’ve loaded these before and it’s their bird.
“We had five hours to do it and we did it in two, so that was a pretty decent off-load. The ground crew down here, they’re definitely on the ball… That definitely expedited the process,” said the loadmaster.
For Kenny, he feels able to relate to the flood victims as a native of Tennessee where flooding and tornadoes stormed across the state in May.
“We had some pretty bad floods down there. Everybody contributed… people are rebuilding right now and it’s bringing back a real sense of community,” Airman Kenny said. “I saw friends and family, houses underwater and houses floating down the interstate. I definitely feel for (the Pakistan flood victims).”
From his own personal experiences with flooding in his home state, the loadmaster is now able to see how he can help flood victims elsewhere in seeing the aircraft he flies on carrying equipment and supplies for providing flood relief. The loadmaster gained hands-on experience, with delivering the helicopters that will distribute aid in the worst hit regions.
To load them onto aircraft such as the C-17 Globemaster, the helicopters are disassembled to fit. The Black Hawks arrive with the rotary blades removed, and the Chinook will arrive in two main pieces plus six rotary blades.
Once the helicopters are offloaded from the aircraft, “they’ll start unfolding them, unpacking them. They’ll unfold all the blades and start putting all the pieces back together. Once they’re completely assembled they’ll have to do a maintenance test flight and after the test flight we’ll be ready to go,” said Chief Warrant Officer Four Bill Evans, an instructor pilot.
After reassembling the helicopters, the unit is expected to move north to an airfield out of which they will transport internally displaced persons and various supplies needed in the region.
Within the approximately 300-person group arriving in with the 16th CAB, some have had previous experience with humanitarian aid and the gratification that comes with providing assistance to people in dire need.
“This is my second go-round (working on a humanitarian aid mission),” Evans said. “I also participated in Hurricane Katrina. It was mixed emotions -- you felt bad for the people there, everything they’re going through, but at the same time we were there to help and we did a lot of good.
It can be heartbreaking at times,” he said. “I don’t know what to really expect (in Pakistan), but I hope we can help the Pakistani government and the U.S. Embassy provide some relief and aid to these people that are in need.”