FLYING JENNIES TRAIN
14
In Flight USA Celebrating 38 Years
IN
ALASKA
September 2021
1929 PARKS P-2A
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A C-130J Super Hercules from the 815th Airlift Squadron takes part in a training exercise at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 14, 2021. The 815th AS Flying Jennies tested the aircraft and pilot capabilities in a new environment, opposite of their home station of Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shelton Sherrill)
By Master Sgt. Jessica Kendziorek 403rd Wing Public Affairs
Leaving the heat, humidity and rain of the south and heading north for cooler temperatures, the 815th Airlift Squadron put their Reserve Airmen to the test in at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) in Alaska with both the temperatures and the terrain, July 13-16. Working with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Airborne, 25th Infantry Division, the 815th AS provided airlift for more than over 1,300 paratroopers for three days, as well as airdrops for heavy equipment on the fourth day, during a training exercise at JBER. “Being able to operate effectively and efficiently in multiple climates and in different types of terrain is an important part of our training,” said Maj. George Metros, 815th AS instructor pilot and exercise mission commander. Hauling cargo, conducting airdrop and airlift is the mission of the 815th AS, the Flying Jennies, but their training is normally performed in locations similar to their home station at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, using the C-130J Super Hercules. Metros said they are used to working in places like Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Benning, Georgia, and Pope AFB, North Carolina. “Being able to come up here to JBER, to work with the 3rd Wing using their facilities, plus airdrop a unit that we haven’t dropped a whole lot in the past, the 4/25th IBCT (A), and to do that at a location away from home station in a new terrain for us is an excellent exercise training opportunity,” Metros said. The terrain in Alaska presented a new challenge for the pilots and loadmasters to tackle. The mountains and valleys provide different types of training scenarios and there are more areas to train in.
The 815th Airlift Squadron, or Flying Jennies, provide airdrop support for more than 1,300 paratroopers from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Airborne, 25th Infantry Division during a training exercise at Joint Base ElmendorfRichardson, Alaska, July 13-16, 2021. They also dropped over 30,000 pounds of heavy equipment, completed more than eight hours of low-level tactical flight and more than 15 assault landings during the four-day training exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jessica Kendziorek)
“The training up here is dynamic,” Metros said. “We essentially deployed a whole package of folks from across the 403rd Wing, from the 36th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, our maintenance group, to our support staff; to come train in an area that is outside of their comfort zone and their normal operations.” Another major difference for the 815th AS was the Army’s restricted range area in Alaska; this is a special air space reserved just for the military to use, which the 815th AS does not have available to them in Biloxi, Mississippi. “Having this special-use airspace that we can fly into and we are the only users, makes conducting training operations easier and allows us to accomplish more training opportunities,” Metros said. “We are able to fly into it to drop the heavy equipment, do airdrop operations Continued on Page 16
