Combat aircraft

Above left to

right: An LC‑130H

crew chief

monitors engine

start‑up at

Kangerlussuaq.

Maj Emery

Jankord, the

commander for

the deployment

that CA joined.

Below:

Fluctuating

temperatures

mean that the

LC‑130Hs don’t

tend to stay still

for too long on

the ice.

wasn’t expecting much but it was nice

to slow down the approach, take it one

step at a time. You brief it and prepare so

much what you have to say, the core skills

are there ready when you need them. I

have landed on sandy, rocky, aluminum

matting runways but this was a different

experience. It’s bumpy and you seem to

slow down real fast.

‘I have been in the unit two years and

you hear stories and see pictures, but it’s

different to what I was expecting. Between

here at Kangerlussuaq and the ice cap it’s

like a different world. Here it is brown and

dusty and in just a few minutes’ flying time

it’s the ice cap, white and flat.

‘It’s great to get the valuable training

from the start to finish of the mission. The

mission here is unique — little things like

putting the skis down. It’s just not one of

those buttons you normally press, only

here and in Antarctica.’

The pilot for this mission was Lt Col

William Carraher. After dropping off the

passengers, the aircrew flew a number

of approaches and landings on open

snow where it isn’t so flat and nothing is

prepared. Carraher commented: ‘From the

time the passengers were dropped off to

being collected was an hour. In that time

the temperatures went from -22 to -17°F

[-8 to +1°C]. When we landed the second

time it took a lot more power just because

all the moisture in the snow grabs onto

the skis.’

Assisted take-off and

propeller upgrade

When conditions are poor or the aircraft

is heavy the wing has the option of using

assisted take-off (ATO) bottles, fitted next

to the paratroop doors. However, stocks

of the bottles are running low and the

LC-130H propeller upgrade means these

take-offs will soon no longer be required.

Under the NP2000 modular blade

upgrade, the aircraft will be given

eight-bladed propellers, together with

109TH AIRLIFT WING | UNIT REPORT

67

January 2018 http://www.combataircraft.net

60-69 Ski Herks C.indd 67 23/11/2017 11:50