Combat aircraft

RIDGE-RUNNING

GLOBEMASTER

An operational  rst was achieved by

the 315th Airlift Wing in 2017 when

the 701st Airlift Squadron  ew a low-

level mission through the mountain

valleys of Wales. Lt Col Stephen

Bartosh, the aircraft commander, said,

‘Allowing some of our junior pilots

and crew to experience low-level

training in this type of mountainous

environment will carry forward in

real-world missions and sharpen

their skills as a  ight crew’. Capt

Bryan Chianella added, ‘Although I

was not piloting the aircraft during

the training, being able to observe

and watch the more seasoned pilots

maneuver the jet through the valleys

provided me with an appreciation for

their skill set and allowed me to make

mental notes going forward on what

I need to be continuously focused on

should I  nd myself  ying in this type

of environment.’

This image:

A 437th AW

C-17A low in a

Welsh valley

during training

operations last

year.

Martin Thomas

Bottom left to

right: The scale

of the C-17 is

apparent in this

shot taken on

the Charleston

fl ightline.

A young

loadmaster

works through

weight and

balance and

pre-fl ight

preparations.

Short fi nals

to a remote

airstrip during

operations

with Central

Command.

USAF/SrA

Jordan Castelan

review air refueling procedures and

information, devise a  ight plan, and

test each other’s general knowledge

surrounding the briefed activities.

On the day of the  ight, crews will

arrive to the squadron a few hours

prior to the scheduled take-o time.

The pilots perform a  nal check of

weather conditions, notices to airmen

(NOTAMs), and required fuel load.

After that, it’s time to head to the jet.

Upon arrival at the aircraft, the aircraft

commander checks the maintenance

forms and the co-pilot runs pre- ight

checks, punching  ightplan data in to

the mission computer. The loadmaster

is responsible for the cargo and looking

after the weight and balance.

When it comes to the  ying, few

are better able to explain things than

Canlas, who has more than 4,100

transport aircraft  ight hours under

his belt. ‘Due to its  y-by-wire  ight

controls, this jet is very responsive

and maneuverable. [It] performs well

in tactical situations due to its ability

to rapidly descend and its relatively

short minimum landing distance. Add

in four high-power engines enabling a

maximum take-o weight of 585,000lb

and you have one awesome military

aircraft. Its versatility is very impressive.

For example, a C-17 can carry an M1

Abrams tank weighing over 120,000lb

into combat and upon landing we can

convert the jet into a  ying hospital to

carry wounded troops back out of battle

less than two hours later.

‘Air refueling tends to be one of the

more di cult skills to conquer,’ Canlas

continues. ‘It’s di cult because pilots

have a tiny space of only a few feet

wide they must maintain in order to

stay connected to the tanker. Keeping

the C-17 inside of that small window

requires training in detecting slight

movements in disturbed atmospheric

conditions, further complicated by

large changes in the aircraft’s gross

weight and being able to apply small

corrections to counter them. It de nitely

requires an aggressive but light touch.’

The C-17 is equipped with a small

crew-rest area with two bunks,

which allows crews to sleep during

long missions. It almost becomes a

‘home from home’ for crews, who

are grateful for the small fridge and

convection oven.

As for the future of USAF airlift, Canlas

foresees deeper joint integration with

other nations and allies. ‘It becomes

more evident every day that we are

more e ective when we [are] integrated

with our sister services and allies. Our

mobility airmen will continue to develop

new, innovative, tactics and techniques

to improve aeromedical evacuation and

precision airdrop capabilities to be ready

for tomorrow’s challenges.’

Amid US military pilot shortages,

there’s plenty of experience at

Charleston, and it’s actually a fairly easy

environment in which to build that

expertise. The average 437th pilot can

expect to gain between 400 and 600

 ight hours per annum. One seasoned

Globemaster pilot was seen with a

10,000th  ight hour patch. Canlas

remarked, ‘It’s way past that now; there’s

guys here with 16,000 hours.’ Even the

 ight hours here are on a vast scale.

http://www.combataircraft.net // April 2018 45

38-45 Charleston's global lifters C.indd 45 15/02/2018 12:48