BY CAPT ADAM SCHOLL, AH-1W
Not Designed to Be Flown in the Clouds
W
hen I arrived to the ready room on an overcast March day at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, there was no reason to think that this night would be any different from most. As one of our squadron’s senior night systems instructors (NSI), I was the section leader for a flight of two AH-1W Cobras. We are tasked with conducting a low light level (LLL) specific weapons delivery (SWD) training mission at BT-11, our primary aerial gunnery range located 50 miles to the northeast along the North Carolina coast. My copilot was the incoming squadron commanding officer, and the training and readiness manual dictated that he would fly this refresher event in the Cobra’s rear seat. My wingman was the squadron’s current commanding officer, who was also giving an LLL SWD training flight to a junior pilot. At brief time, the operations duty officer (ODO) gave us our standard brief. We received the current and forecast weather, NOTAMs, and information regarding active ranges in the local area. The weather was forecast to degrade steadily throughout the night, but was expected to stay above VFR minimums of 1000-3. After the ODO finished, I briefed my section on the conduct of the flight, which would involve flying from MCAS New River to MCAS Cherry Point. There we would conduct forward arming and refueling point (FARP) operations in order to load ordnance and take on additional fuel before entering the range. After the section brief, I briefed my co-pilot on our inter-cockpit procedures. We then walked to the helicopters, conducted thorough pre-flight inspections, and launched as a section into the night. Our SWD training on the range was uneventful, and took us approximately an hour to complete. After our training objectives were met, we egressed as a section back to Cherry Point to de-arm our aircraft, download our remaining ordnance, and take on more fuel. While on deck at Cherry Point, ATIS at New River called 800 foot ceilings and two miles of visibility. Although below VFR minimums, I opted to continue with the plan we had briefed and return to New River. We were all
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A Sailor departs the flight line after an AH-1W Cobra takes off. (Photo courtesy CAPT Adam Scholl)
Approach-MECH
