Rotor Review Summer 2010 #110 by Naval Helicopter Association, Inc

Number 110 Summer ‘10

Naval Helicopter Association

Summer 2010 Number 110

Focusing on

Safety

Green Range Clear to Fire Deepwater Horizon and Coast Guard Station New Orleans All in a Day’s Work

MH-60R

Here and Now

A new bird is prowling the skies. Protecting the battlegroup. Operating with conﬁdence in the complex environments our nation’s sailors face daily. The MH-60R is here. An all-new aircraft. Armed with sophisticated equipment. Including integrated systems able to detect undersea objects at three to seven times the range of current helicopters, and track 10 times as many surface targets. And that’s just for starters. Future technology upgrades will make the MH-60R even more net-centric, more lethal, and more capable. MH-60R. The right helicopter, right now.

Cover art by George Hopson, NHA Art Editor. Naval Helicopter Association

Number 110 / Summer ‘10

Features Green Range Clear to Fire Article by LT Matthew Boyce, USN

Joint Helicopter Force Keeps Things Moving in Afghanistan Sharon Kean, Fleet Air Arm / Royal Navy

LCDR Kristin Ohleger, USN

Lesson Learned LT Dean Halton, USN

Design Editor

USNA’s 2010 Summer Soaring Program: Soaring as an Aviation Screening & Learning Tool CDR Brian H. Randall, USN

Marines, Sailors Conduct Rescue Training To Stay Mission Ready LCpl Aaron Hostutler, USMC

Deepwater Horizon and Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans LTJG Rebecca Fosha, USN

All in a Day’s Work LCDR Dennis Wajda, USN

NAS Whidbey Island SAR Rescues Injured Teen Kimberly Martin, NAS Whidbey Island Public Affairs

Navy, Marine Corps Team Moves to Southern Pakistan MC2 (SW/AW) R. David Valdez, USN

Perspective from the Air Boss VADM Allen G. Myers, USN

Editor

George Hopson

Aircrewman / Special Missions Editor

Page 21

AWCM Carl T. Bailey II, USN

HSC / HS / HM Editor LT Julie Dunnigan, USN

HSL/HSM Editor

LT Anthony Amodeo, USN

USMC Editor

Page 23

TBA

USCG Editor

LT Todd Vorenkamp, USCG

Book Review Editor

LCDR BJ Armstrong, USN

Technical Advisor

LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret)

Focus

Page 40

NHA Photographer

Focusing on Safety

CDR Lloyd Parthemer, USN (Ret) LT Todd Vorenkamp, USCG

A Hard Look Back at Safety AWS1(NAC/AW) Jason Rich, USN

Historical Editor

Naval Aviation Safety - The Best Defense is A Good Offense CAPT J.R. Nettleton, USN

Naval Safety Center Mr. Jack Stewart, Approach magazine

Mission Readiness Through Operational Safety LT Karl Orthne, USN

Loss of Tail Rotor Authority LT Karl Orthne, USN

Engage the Threat (Active and Latent Threats and You) LT R. Bruce Lindsay, USN

What Does a Fatigue Fracture Look Like and What Causes Them to Occur? Rick Wartman P.E.

Safety Leadership Programs for DET OICs Robert Hahn

CAPT Vincent Secades, USN (Ret) Page 47

Printing by Diego & Son Printing, Inc San Diego, California

Rotor Review (ISSN: 1085-9683) is published quarterly by the Naval Helicopter Association, Inc (NHA), a California nonprofit corporation. NHA is located in Building 654, Rogers Road, NASNI, San Diego, CA 92135. Views expressed in Rotor Review are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of NHA or United States Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. Rotor Review is printed in the USA. Periodical rate postage is paid at San Diego, CA. Subscription to Rotor Review is included in the membership fee in the Naval Helicopter Association or the corporate membership fee. A current corporation annual report, prepared in accordance with Section 8321 of the California Corporations Code, is available to members on request. POSTMASTER: Send address change to Naval Helicopter Association, P.O. Box 180578 , Coronado, CA 92178-0578

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Naval Helicopter Association, Inc.

Corporate Associates

The following corporations exhibit strong support of rotary wing aviation through their sponsorship of the Naval Helicopter Association, Inc

AgustaWestland Inc. BAE Systems / Electronics & Integrated Solutions BAE Systems / Land & Armaments Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc Binghamton Simulator Company Boeing Aircraft & Missile Breeze-Eastern CAE Inc. Delex Systems, Inc EADS North America FLIR Systems, Inc. G.E. Aircraft Engines GEICO Goodrich Corporation Harris Corporation LSI, Inc Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors L3 Communications / D.P. Associates Inc. L3 Communications / Ocean Systems L3 Communications / Vertex Aerospace Navy Mutual Aid Association Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Pen Air Federal Credit Union Raytheon Naval & Maritime Systems Robertson Fuel Systems L.L.C. Rockwell Collins Corporation Rolls-Royce Corporation Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation StandardAero Telephonics Corporation Whitney, Bradley and Brown Inc.

In appreciation of our advertisers

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors

University of San Diego Navy Mutual Aid Association Hovergirl Properties Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Correspondence and membership P.O. Box 180578 Coronado, CA 92178-0578 (619) 435-7139 / (619) 435-7354 (fax)

National Officers

President................................................... CAPT John Miley, USN V/P Corp Mem......................... CAPT Mike Middleton, USN (Ret) V/P Awards .......................................CDR Matt Niedzwiecki, USN V/P Membership ..........................................CDR John Barry, USN V/P Symposium 2011..................CDR(sel) Derrick Kingsley, USN Secretary.......................................................LT Sutton Bailey, USN Treasurer ........................................................LT Dave Yoon, USN “Stuff”.................................... ................LT Jen McCollough, USN Executive Director.................Col. Howard Whitfield, USMC (Ret) Admin/Rotor Review Design Editor........................George Hopson Membership/Symposium ............................................. Lucy Haase

Directors at Large

Chairman........................RADM Steven J. Tomaszeski, USN (Ret) CAPT Mike Baxter, USNR (Ret) CAPT Chuck Deitchman, USN (Ret) CAPT John McGill, USN (Ret) CAPT Dave Moulton, USNR (Ret) CAPT Mike Reber, USN (Ret) CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret)

Regional Officers

Region 1 - San Diego

Directors.………………..........................CAPT Mike Horan, USN CAPT Buddy Iannone, USNR CAPT Joseph Bauknecht, USN President..…................................. CDR Herschel Weinstock, USN

Region 2 - Washington D.C.

Director ..…………...…………......CAPT Matt McCloskey, USN CAPT Andy Macyko, USN President ....................................................CDR Eric Bower, USN Page

C2 13 39 44 C4

NHA Scholarship Fund President...................................CAPT Paul Stevens, USN(Ret) V/P Operations..........................................CDR John Bushey, USN V/P Fundraising .......................................................................TBD V/P Scholarships ........................CDR Tony Saunders, USN V/P CFC Merit Scholarship.............LT James Scharff, USN Treasurer..................................LT Sarah Flaherty, USN Corresponding Secretary..................LT Sam Wheeler, USN Finance Committee.............................CDR Kron Littleton, USN (Ret)

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Region 3 - Jacksonville

Director ...................................................... CAPT Carl Bush, USN President..............................................CAPT Clayton Conley, USN

Region 4 - Norfolk

Director ............................................. CAPT Mike Cashman, USN President ...............................................CDR Shelby Mounts, USN

Region 5 - Pensacola

Directors........................................CAPT James Vandiver, USN

CAPT Steve Truhlar, USCG

President .............................................CDR Mike Fisher, USN

Fleet Fly-In.........................................LT Chad Christensen, USN

Far East Chapter

President ..............................................CDR Sil Perrella, USN

Departments Number 110 / Summer ‘10

Editor’s Log

Chairman’s Brief

President’s Message

NHA Scholarship Fund

Executive Director’s Notes

View from the Labs, Supporting the Fleet

Industry and Technology

2010 Fleet Fly-In Schedule

Historical

Helicopter Aviation Pioneer Stewart R. Graham Tom Beard

Nursing Home opens up in honor of CDR Clyde E. Lassen CDR Lloyd Parthemer, USN(Ret)

Feet Wet CDR Lloyd Parthemer, USN(Ret)

Change of Command

LCDR Kristin Ohleger, USN RADM Steve Tomaszeski, USN (Ret) CAPT John Miley, USN

Page 10

CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret) Col Howard Whitfield, USMC (Ret) CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret)

Page 29

MEDEVAC From Luzon Roger Conner, Air & Space Magazine staff

Page 62

There I Was Page 67 Articles and news items are welcomed from NHA’s general membership and corporate associates. Articles should be of general interest to the readership and geared toward current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard affairs, technical advances in the helicopter industry or historical anecdotes. Submissions should be made to Rotor Review with documents formatted in Microsoft Word ® and photos formatted as high-resolution JPEG and/or PDF by e-mail to: rotorrev@simplyweb.net or by FEDEX / UPS on a MAC or PC formatted CD to Rotor Review / NHA, BLDG 654, Rogers Road, NASNI, San Diego, CA, 92135. Also, comments, suggestions, critiques and opinions are welcomed, your anonymity is respected. Send to: by email: rotorrev@simplyweb.net, by mail: Naval Helicopter Association, Inc., P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA., 921780578, call (619) 435-7139 or FAX :(619) 435-7354 .

Just Another Night In Eastern Pacific LT Bill Teal, USN

Into the Dark Abyss LT Jeremy Steffen, USN

Regional Updates

Squadron Updates

USMC Updates

USCG Updates

Senior Officer Bookshelf

Stuff

Editors Emeritus

Wayne Jensen John Ball John Driver Sean Laughlin Andy Quiett Mike Curtis Susan Fink Bill Chase Tracey Keefe Maureen Palmerino Bryan Buljat Gabe Soltero Todd Vorenkamp Steve Bury Clay Shane

The Rotor Review is intended to support the goals of the association, provide a forum for discussion and exchange of information on topics of interest to the rotary wing community, and keep membership informed of NHA activities.As necessary, the President of NHA will provide the guidance to the Rotor Review Editorial Board to ensure the Rotor Review content continues to support this statement of policy as Naval Helicopter Association adjusts to expanding rotary wing community.

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Editor’s Log

elcome to Rotor Review 110! As usual, the editors and I sat down to brainstorm the next focus of our magazine. When generating concepts for our magazine, we do our best to think of new and interesting topics, which cover the latest and greatest of what our helicopter community is doing, or we look at past magazines and try to get ideas from them. This time, the process was a little different. After the NHA symposium, we received an article from Jack Stewart, editor of Approach Magazine. We chose to hold Jack’s article and not publish it in Rotor Review 109 due to the inspiration it gave us for this issue. That, coupled with the Air Boss’ focus on the helo community and our mishap rate, led us to the decision that it would be in our best interest to dedicate this issue to safety. “Focusing on Safety”… There are so many different aspects of safety in Naval Aviation that I am not sure where to begin. A few years ago I went to a Strategic Communications conference where I worked with CNATRA and several other aviators with different backgrounds. Our job was to come up

with new ways to communicate ORM to the rest of the fleet. I actually think that the Admiral tried to sell us on the slogan of “Don’t be a dork, ORM is cool!” I’m not quite sure the point was taken, but was sure that most of the JOs in the fleet would laugh out loud if we promoted that. In reality, how do you promote ORM to a group of type-A, motivated aviators who want to get the job done, sometimes at any cost? That is a leadership challenge that we all, from CO to second crewman, must recognize and develop strategies to conquer. I know that at one time or another, each one of us has read a mishap report and made comments about how we would never make the same decisions that an aircrew did for a particular event. I know from personal experience that you will never know how you will react until you are in a similar situation. One thing that is certain is that we continue to relearn the lesson that negative outcomes frequently could be prevented by applying sound ORM to decisions that we do make. In our profession, things happen quickly and when they go bad, they can be fatal. Unfortunately, most of us learn from others’ mistakes, and that, not ORM training, is what gets our attention. A slogan will not resonate

with most aviators, but reading lessons learned usually will. Regrettably, most of us have the “It can’t happen to me” mentality. I will be the first to admit that I had it. Last fall I wrote an article for Rotor Review’s “There I was” section about my Class A mishap that happened six years ago, when it took seven seconds from the moment my tail rotor failed until the aircraft impacted the ground upside-down. From that point on, my perspective changed. Hopefully this issue will generate discussion and change the perspectives of some members within our community as well. This issue of Rotor Review has several great articles that definitely grabbed my attention. In particular, CAPT J.R. Nettleton, Force Safety, discusses lessons learned and the tools that are in place to help us identify potential hazards. The Naval Safety Center and the School of Aviation Safety have contributed outstanding perspectives to this issue as well. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I have and I look forward to reading about you and your squadrons in the future. LCDR Kristin Ohleger, USN

There is always something new to learn or tactic/maneuver to perfect by our flight crews and maintainers. We try not ever to be surprised by any in flight or on deck scenario, be it mission or aircraft related. And that hallmark of naval aviation, preparation, paid off handsomely for the NAS Whidbey Island SAR rescue crew on Tuesday, 17 August. I had the pleasure to speak to this accomplished crew on 23 August after watching the exciting video of their rescue. If there was ever a mission to get the adrenaline flowing, your crew focused, your training pay off, it’s a mountain rescue. Ask anyone who’s

been involved in one. They are all different, challenging and demand flight crew coordination excellence. Here is their story. A 15-year old girl had fallen over 100 feet off a cliff and into the river in the Skokomish River Canyon, WA, while hiking with her family. She was badly hurt with broken bones and internal injuries and was showing signs of hypothermia. She was also in a very difficult extraction position in a steep, narrow canyon. Paramedics from Mason County Fire and Rescue

Rotor Review Editor-in-Chief

Chairman’s Brief

uck is when preparation (training) meets opportunity. S e n e c a , a first century Roman philosopher, said this. Seneca would enjoy this 110th edition of Rotor Review spotlighting Safety and the preparation we invest in this discipline. In our naval helicopter business, we make our own luck. We train together as a crew, detachment, squadron, wing, etc., with meticulous focus and dedication. Our intensive training regimen is the bedrock of our mission effectiveness.

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Continue on page 5

Continued from page 4

had rappelled down from a 450-foot bridge above her location. These first responders stabilized the teenager, but needed assistance in getting her quickly to a hospital. NAS Whidbey Island SAR alert crew was called to action. Lt. Brandon Sheets (HS-4 alumnus) was the aircraft commander; Lt. Scott Zenner (HSC-25 (Guam) alumnus), his copilot. The crew chief was AWS1 Andy Worth assisted by air crewmen AWSC Jeremy Wilkins, AWS2 Casey and rescue swimmer, HM2 Richmond Roy. The pilots had 3 ½ years of “Whidbey” experience between them, the aircrew even more with over 3 dozen mountain rescues under their belts. The young hiker picked a fine day to fall down a mountain. LT Zenner flew the aircraft into position and held it in a steady hover so HM2 Roy could go down the hoist to the river with the litter. Due to the river's strong current and the subsequent rotor wash, HM2 Roy stayed on the rescue hoist. Thanks to the on- scene paramedics, the patient was ready for transfer for a lift up into the helicopter with HM2 Roy. "The rotors caused a funnel of wind in the canyon and that's what made us spin more than usual," said Roy. Watching the video, this was an “E-ticket” ride for the victim. HM2 slowed the spinning down somewhat by waving his arms out, something he learned in training. The entire time the MH-60S was under the bridge, the crew had 5 pairs of eyes on the rotors and was calling out distances to ensure they maintained adequate clearances on both sides of the canyon. The left side of the canyon was particularly close. Lt. Sheets said he estimates they were actually on scene no more than 13 minutes, even though it felt longer. Once in the aircraft, the pilots slowly maneuvered the helicopter back out from under the bridge, gained elevation out of the canyon and headed east for Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The entire rescue was observed by the victim’s family and filmed by the local television crew. No pressure! LT Sheets tells me NAS

Whidbey Island is a “terrific tour of duty” with “some of the most challenging flying I have ever done.” Whidbey averages approximately 1 mountain rescue a week, 2/3 per week in the summer. Whidbey Island SAR has executed 17 successful mountain rescues this year. LT Sheets complemented both his maintainers and crew’s “outstanding response” to this mission and stated that “any of the four SAR crews at Whidbey could have performed this mission; that’s what we train for and that’s why our maintainers have these helicopters ready.” The young lady is doing fine and is expected to make a full recovery. She spent three days in the ICU with multiple injuries. Doctors attributed her recovery to the expeditious manner in which she received medical attention. Well Done, Whidbey Island SAR! Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. We in Naval aviation make our own luck. Thanks to Kimberly Martin, NAS Whidbey Public Affair for a wonderful article and photos by Deputy Sheriff Eric Heliman on page 27 Briefing Notes: The 22nd annual NAS Whiting Field Gulf Coast Fleet Fly In will be held 19-22 October. This year will mark the 60th Anniversary of Rotary Wing Training. Captain Vandiver (TRAWING 5) and his team have organized another grand event for our unrestricted SNAs and lucky Fleet Fly-In aircrews. Over three dozen fleet rotary wing aircraft are scheduled to fly into Milton for our SNA’s to walk around, ask questions and fly in. This is an outstanding interactive SNA/Pilot/aircrew event that I will be debriefing in RR #111. NHA will also hold a board of directors meeting at the Fly-In. Topics to be addressed: Membership report; Finances; Symposium dates/locations; CONA; Affinity marketing; Trustee term limits; BoD’s awards; and our growing NHA scholarship fund. The annual HSCWINGLANT Ball was held at the Waterside Marriott in Norfolk, VA on 10 September. With another sellout guaranteed, an enthusiastic HSC gathering of over 350 was expected to dine, dance, enjoy Casino Night and hear RADM

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Bill Shannon, Program Executive Officer (Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons), wax eloquently about helicopters and UAVs. The table decoration competition alone was worth the price of admission! The Patuxent River chapter of NHA Region 2 hosted the first NHA Quarterly PAX Professional Luncheon, 22 September 2010, at the new River’s Edge Catering & Conference Center, NAS Patuxent River, MD. The guest speaker was Mr. John James “JJ” McCue (Senior Academic Instructor at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School). JJ’s topic will be “Helicopter Operations in High Altitude Environments.” Follow up Brief on the Future of Vertical Lift: On 27 October 2009, OSD posed a proposition for the U.S. rotorcraft industry. Create a Vertical Lift Consortia (VLC), consisting of U.S. aerospace companies and OSD will begin working with industry to (a) draft a technology roadmap; (b) draft an S&T plan (we have about five sitting on the shelf presently); and (c) interface with the DoD through an “Other Transaction Agreement” (OTA) to perform 21st century technology development for rotorcraft. Plans to establish this VLC continue. Progress is being made but I must report nothing substantial has been accomplished to date. While this may seem frustrating this is a most important proposition for our community. I will continue to update you on the progress of this S & T Consortia. This will have an impact on the FY 12-17 POM. Till our next brief, fly well and… Keep your Turns Up! RADM Steve Tomaszeski, USN(Ret) NHA Chairman

President’s Message

ellow NHA Members, You hold in your hands the 110th edition of your magazine, Rotor Review. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the magazine staff led by your editor, Kristin Ohleger, the art designer, George Hopson, and the many contributors, this outstanding magazine keeps getting better and better. In this edition, the focus is on the important topic of Safety; a topic we revisit on a regular basis. Enjoy the great articles, sea stories, and squadron updates. And when you’re done, pass this Rotor Review on to another helo bubba (active or retired) who may not be a NHA member – yet.

CAPT Miley honoring LT Bailey on her services as NHA’s Secretary

Let them see, through this first rate magazine and through your enthusiasm, what a great organization NHA is and why they should want to join (or rejoin) us. I’ve been approached by members on a couple of occasions about changing our NHA logo. We are always open to new suggestions and I encourage any of our members who may have a creative suggestion that appropriately reflects our rich Naval Helicopter heritage and traditions to submit your ideas to the National Office. Any that we receive will be reviewed and passed on to the Board of Directors for their consideration. Likewise, we’re looking for a new term to describe our annual membership drive. I understand and appreciate that “Max Beep” doesn’t have any special significance to a majority of our members. (As an old H-46 driver, you don’t know how much it pains me to write that last sentence.) So if someone has a creative or catchy phrase – it doesn’t have to be an operating limitation or have a torque or Nr connotation – send it in for us to consider.

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

CAPT Miley honoring CDR Dowling on his services as NHA’s V/P, Awards

Lastly, the Gulf Coast Fly-in is right around the corner. This year, HT-8 will be celebrating their 60th Anniversary in conjunction with the Fly-in. Hopefully you’ve all made your plans to attend. I know Commodore Vandiver and Skipper Fisher have some great festivities planned. NHA is your organization and Rotor Review is your magazine. We’d love to hear your suggestions on how to make both better. Follow NHA on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Get involved. Contribute. Make a difference. See you at Whiting at the Fly-in. Warm regards, CAPT John Miley, USN NHA President

NHA Scholarship Fund

reetings squadron mates. As I write this, developers are busy giving a fresh new look to our website and the online line application process. It rolled out on September 13, 2010, but I’m sure that there’ll be some peeking and tweaking once it’s out. What is important is having the online application process ready to go as we start the school year. When it’s up and running, your comments and recommendations on how we can make it even better will be greatly appreciated. I want to report that we recently had a significant setback in how we

grow the Fund. OPM has determined that we have not met their CFC requirements of providing a meaningful level of service (read scholarships) to at least 15 states over a three year period. We’re close (12) but because most of our applications come from regional rotary wing hubs, there are fewer states to draw from. We could use your help here to fix the problem. We need to get the word out to more states that these scholarships are available. That means better outreach/networking with our retired community and those formally on active duty. We need to tell them we have scholarship money for their family and that includes our USMC and USCG shipmates who are often assigned to duty stations away from the Navy’s rotary wing community. Obviously, if we could offer more scholarships we could reach more states. That’s always been the Fund’s objective but it is made even more difficult now without CFC

contributions. More than ever, we need your direct contributions to this important work. Please, please consider the NHA Scholarship Fund when planning your charitable contributions and /or estate planning. This Fund gives directly back to the naval rotary wing community. On a positive note, we are still planning on expanding our scholarship program to provide grants for our active duty personnel this year. This includes undergraduate scholarships for enlisted personnel and money for graduate work for both the enlisted and officer communities. We’ll have to start small here until we fix the CFC problem but we are determined to make it happen . We’ll get the word out through your chain of command when we’re ready to take applications. Hold fast, CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret) NHA Scholarship Fund President

Executive Director’s Notes

lans are underway to celebrate the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CoNA) in 2011. The Centennial Kickoff & Aerial Review will occur in the birthplace of Naval Aviation, San Diego, CA, 10-13 February. Other so-called “Tier 1” events will occur around the country at airshows, etc. All squadrons should be receiving the Centennial newsletters. NHA has been working with CAPT Rich

Dann, Executive Director, to include information about naval rotary wing aviation in the newsletters. To highlight the Centennial various naval aircraft are being painted in vintage paint schemes including a MH-60S in dark blue. NHA also plans to include special recognition of CoNA in the four 2011 Rotor Review issues. By the time you receive this issue of Rotor Review this year’s 21st NHA Fleet Fly-In at NAS Whiting Field will be upon us. The theme of this year’s Fly-In will be “Celebrating 60 Years of rotary wing training.” The Fly-In has become a major fall event for TRAWING FIVE, HT-8, HT-18, and

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

HT-28, the instructors, and particularly the student Naval Aviators for whom the event is staged. The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have been very supportive flying in fleet aircraft for the SNAs to tour and fly in. Briefings are also given by each rotary wing community on what to expect in terms of missions, etc, when the “nuggets” get to their first fleet squadron. As a VT-3 alumnus flight instructor, 19641967, in T-28s, flying over 2,200 hours and two hurrevacs, the Fly-In is truly a homecoming event for me.. Col. Howard M. Whitfield, USMC (Ret) NHA Executive Director

A View From The Labs... Supporting The Fleet By CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret)

We’re Safe – Right?

o…what a great topic area for this issue of Rotor Review. It probably is safe to say (no pun) that safety undergirds everything we do in naval and rotary wing aviation. And while I don’t have the precise stats at my fingertips, the general trend lines regarding accident rates in naval aviation in general and the naval rotary wing community specifically, but suffice it to say that in the four decades since I broke into naval aviation they have gone down substantially – maybe even dramatically. And when you stop to think about it, somewhere along that forty year path there was an inflection point where things changed statistically. I’ll focus the remainder of this column on the naval rotary wing community, but am virtually certain that it is the same in other communities. While these are stats I’m almost certain no one has, what changed along the way – who knows what year or decade it happened, but as individuals in the naval rotary wing community we transitioned from a state where fewer people knew someone personally who had died in a helicopter crash than those who did. Why does that matter? Now, fair warning, to those of you in the early stages of your careers, this may sound like one of those “back in the day we had it so bad, and you all have it so good today.” But it’s not. What it is meant to convey is that in many ways those of us who are still around from those days were doubly lucky, not only are we still around, but one of the reasons we are is that we lost so many close shipmates in crashes that safety is something we felt viscerally and personally. We absolutely knew it could happen to us… and it wasn’t some vague, “maybe” sort of thing. We didn’t obsess about it, but you knew, every day you launched, you had to be on your toes “just in case.” And of course, good things

Department, Safety Schools, Approach Magazine, and many others. But is there anything else we can do? And more specifically, as a Naval Helicopter Association, can we somehow be the central focal point to share lessons learned, to talk about “what almost happened,” without attribution if necessary, as another way we can take safety to the next level. By way of analogy, junior Army and Marine Corps officers established their own network in Iraq and Afghanistan to share experiences simply to try to stay alive in a hostile environment. Now that NHA has a website that is up and running and with the Helo CONOPS reorganization going strong, the timing for such an exchange of ideas using the NHA website (or other venue) couldn’t be better. There may even be a way for those whose flying days are in the past to “pay it forward” and share experiences they had and their “what almost happened” experiences with HSC-9’s MH-60S is being directed onto today’s helo aviators. All it takes is a the flightdeck of USS George H.W. Bush small group – or even one person – to (CVN 77) during ammunition onload. be the “spark” to get this idea moving. Photo taken by MCSN Besty Lynn Knapper Who’s ready to step up? happened over the ensuing decades, our aging fleet of helicopters was replaced by newer machines, we put better safety programs in place and things improved dramatically across the board from a safety point of view. The length of time helo squadrons had between “Class A” accidents increased from years to decades! We kept raising the bar higher and higher and we all became justifiably proud of those accomplishments. But one of the unintended consequences was that as aviators we just didn’t know of anything bad that happened to someone we knew. Oh yes, occasionally, there was that squadron on the other coast that had that tragic accident and that was unfortunate, but hey, look at our squadron, we haven’t had a Class A mishap in years! And we AMAN Samuel Staples performs have so many ways to train ourselves to maintenance on an MH-60S KnightHawk helicopter. Photo taken be safer, NATOPS programs, a Safety by MC2 Jay Chu.

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Press released by Northrop Grumman, Corp.

he test flights were conducted in early July over a ten day period in the United Arab Emirates. They validated Fire Scout’s steady system maturation and helped signal its readiness for the U.S. Navy’s upcoming Operational Evaluation of the system, planned for late 2010 aboard the USS Halyburton (FFG-40). “We welcome Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy to the UAE for continued testing of the Fire Scout,” said Ali Al Yafei of ADASI (Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investment). “As a VUAS, Fire Scout has many unique capabilities to offer and we’re looking forward to reviewing the results of this in-country testing.” The Fire Scout demonstrations included numerous takeoffs and landings in hot, windy and sandy conditions in temperatures as high as 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit). The VUAS also conducted various test flights at altitudes up to 3,000 meters (9,842 feet). These demonstration missions included non-line-of-sight operations that showcased Fire Scout’s ability to operate autonomously in remote locations, and its FLIR Systems electro-optical/ infrared (EO/IR) sensing capabilities used to locate and acquire targets. Video imagery from the testing was

presented today at a post-testing event to an audience of interested multi-national government agencies, and domestic and international media. The imagery, a compilation of video produced by Fire Scout’s sensors during field trials, demonstrated the VUAS’s real-time imagerytransmission capability, a vital element of the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions it performs for military forces. “Today’s demonstration was very impressive and reinforces the continued maturation of the Fire Scout system and its capabilities,” said John Brooks, president of Northrop Grumman International Inc. “Northrop Grumman thanks the UAE for being such a gracious host and offering us the opportunity to test Fire Scout in the extreme heat of summer. The UAE represents an important partnership for Northrop Grumman and our customers internationally demand the best. We are committed to continuing to meet and exceed their expectations.” The only U.S. Department of Defense VUAS program of record, Fire Scout is a mature, flexible and reliable system whose capabilities can serve as a true force multiplier. “The capabilities that Fire Scout delivers to warfighters really stood out today,” said Duke Dufresne, sector vice president and

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

ield trials add momentum to s y s t e m readiness for domestic, international evaluation

Industry and Technology

Northrop Grumman’s Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned System Successfully Completes Testing Under Extreme Environmental Conditions

general manager for the Strike and Surveillance Systems Division of Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “It’s clear from this demonstration that Fire Scout can do exactly what it’s designed to do: extend the range at which we can gather crucial information during peacekeeping or wartime missions.”

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman. com for more information.

Industry and Technology

MH-60R Brings “Gamechanging” Capabilities to Maritime Warfare Press Released by Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors

ockheed Martin is working to a five-year, $1 billion contract to install integrated mission systems and sensors aboard 139 aircraft through 2013.

he U.S. Navy is a strong proponent of its new MH-60R antisubmarine and anti-surface warfare helicopter. During the February 3, 2010 ceremony to accept the 50th MH-60R mission-ready aircraft from Lockheed Martin, RADM Paul Grosklags said: “The MH-60 Romeo is the most capable multi-mission maritime helicopter in the world. Period.” Grosklags called the MH60R’s acoustic system that detects and tracks submarines, and the multimode radar that can detect a periscope poking above the waves, “game changers” in anti-submarine warfare.

Blue water exercises in the western Pacific bear these claims out, he said. “The MH-60R is not an incremental upgrade,” said Grosklags, vice commander, Naval Air Systems Command. “The weapon system is a significant upgrade in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capability over legacy aircraft” The newest member of the SEAHAWK® family of maritime helicopters is designed and manufactured by Sikorsky, with advanced mission systems integration by Lockheed Martin. The companies expect to deliver up to 27 mission-ready MH-60R

aircraft in calendar year 2010 to the U.S. Navy. Lockheed Martin is working to a five-year, $1 billion contract to install integrated mission systems and sensors aboard 139 aircraft through 2013. In early March, Lockheed Martin delivered the 52nd missionready MH-60R helicopter to the U.S. Navy, which is expected to buy 300 aircraft. All 52 were delivered on time. To date, the U.S. Navy has established four MH-60R squadrons, with plans to fill out 16 more. Extra production capacity exists at Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin to deliver an additional 20 aircraft each year for sale by the U.S. Government to international navies.

U.S. Navy and Team Romeo submit proposal to Royal Australian Navy for the Naval Combat Helicopter replacement The U.S. Navy and global security companies Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Lockheed Martin recently submitted their proposal to the Royal Australian Navy for the Australia Air 9000 Phase 8 competition. The Air 9000 Phase 8 competition is for the Australian Navy’s future combat helicopter requirement. The Navy is offering the “Romeo” helicopter, the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) helicopter. Team Romeo is the industry team supporting the Navy’s offer of 24 MH-60R maritime helicopters to the Royal Australian Navy. The team is composed of five companies with significant presence in Australia: Sikorsky, Continue on page 11

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Industry and Technology: MH-60R Continued from page 10

which manufactures the MH-60R helicopter, Lockheed Martin, which provides the integrated mission systems and cockpit, General Electric, which provides the engines, Raytheon, which provides the FLIR and acoustic sensor, and CAE, which provides the pilot training simulators. “The MH-60R will provide the lowest-risk solution and best available ASW and ASuW capabilities to Australia to meet their urgent need for a maritime combat helicopter,” said George Barton, Lockheed Martin’s MH-60R program manager. “Team Romeo’s proposal offers Australian business partners a tremendous opportunity to help us keep these helicopters combat ready over the life of the program and grow many hightech jobs in Australia.” The Navy has invested U.S. $1 billion for more than 10 years to develop the MH-60R airframe and its heavily integrated mission systems, and is also implementing an existing technology roadmap to continue adding new capabilities to the platform as they become mature.

eam Romeo is the industry team supporting the Navy’s offer of 24 MH60R maritime helicopters to the Royal Australian Navy. The team is composed of five companies with significant presence in Australia: Sikorsky, which manufactures the MH-60R helicopter, Lockheed Martin, which provides the integrated mission systems and cockpit, General Electric, which provides the engines, Raytheon, which provides the FLIR and acoustic sensor, and CAE, which provides the pilot training simulators. Future upgrades include: 1. New broadband data link that communicates what the MH-60R shares with a ship or battle strike group 2. Enhanced small diameter object detection 3. New joint planning mission system 4. Vibration reduction and a health usage monitoring system

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The MH-60R recently participated in the Rim of the Pacific 2010 war games, known as RIMPAC 2010. The RIMPAC exercise provided a unique opportunity to use the MH-60R’s sensor suite in both ASW and ASuW operations. This was also the first time the MH-60R’s advanced ASW sensors and capabilities were shared with many of the RIMPAC allied nations.

Features

“Green Range Clear to Fire” Article by LT Matthew Boyce, USN

missile hit its target, the n preparation for handling live MTS turret unit was replaced. Maintenance ordnance, AO2 Richard Goodley worked late into the took the lead. He briefed night to finish the job, Freedom’s Commanding Officer to guarantee a safe and and watchstanders on required accurate shot on target. In preparation procedures, safety precautions for handling live and the need to spot the aircraft at ordnance, AO2 Richard an angle on a flight deck designed Goodley took the lead. He briefed Freedom’s for straight-in approaches only. Commanding Officer The AOs completed their inand watchstanders on the-can checks of the missile required procedures, safety precautions and the night prior to the event. the need to spot the aircraft at an angle on a flight deck designed for straight-in it was second nature. Two days prior approaches only. The AOs completed to the MISSILEX, HS-4 contacted their in-the-can checks of the missile the detachment with a request for the night prior to the event. With a fire remote designation on their shot. With hose faked out and a hose team standing proper correspondence, execution of by, the missile was safely and efficiently procedures, and face-to-face briefing, loaded on the Crusader 03. Under Crusader 03 successfully delivered the supervision of AWSC Jeff Smith, its AGM-114B to the target and then the load team made the evolution look proceeded to provide remote designation routine. for Black Knight 35. Standardization of Once the aircraft was verified tactics, techniques and procedures and safe-for-flight by maintenance, the superb CRM between aircraft, fostered aircrew was ready to go, having prepared an environment where live ordnance for weeks as well. While shore-based could be delivered on target safely. in San Diego, the MISSILEX crew Ultimately, sound ORM throughout flew a simulator event to practice the evolution from the initial concept launch procedures. This training of operations to mission execution honed their CRM skills, ensuring that guaranteed the successful outcome. once it came time for release consent,

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Photo taken by MC2 Nathan Laird

he first principle of ORM is to “accept risk when benefits outweigh the cost.” During RIMPAC 2010 Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWO TWO (HSC-22) Detachment TWO, in concert with Helicopter AntiSubmarine Squadron FOUR, put this principle to practice. Through in-depth planning, preparation and professional execution of procedures by the maintenance personnel and aircrew, the detachment safely completed HSC22’s first embarked Hellfire MISSILEX with a live warhead while embarked onboard USS Freedom (LCS-1). In doing so, it again demonstrated that training and preparation improve the safety of aviation detachments through heightened proficiency and confidence. The roots for the successful shoot were laid months prior to the event in the load crew’s training for certification during the Conventional Weapons Technical Proficiency Inspection (CWTPI). The AOs and AWS’ meticulous training with the Dummy Air Training Missile (DATM) and Captive Air Training Missile (CATM) missiles gave them the knowledge and confidence to complete the load evolution safely. While the load team was conducting its training, the flight crews were progressing through the Sea Combat syllabus in preparation for the shoot. The pilots completed the Armed Helicopter Level I syllabus as Category V students at HSC-2. Following that, both the pilots and aircrewmen worked their way through the Armed Helo Level II and III syllabi. Extensive training in the simulator and at the Dare (NC) Range prepared the crew for a successful event. In the weeks leading up to the shoot, detachment maintenance began a process to guarantee success through repeated release and control checks and meticulous boresighting. Despite a satisfactory boresight two days prior, on the eve of the shoot, the multi-spectral targeting system (MTS) repeatedly failed its boresight test. To ensure the

HSC-22 onboard USS Freedom (LCS 1) 12

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Features

Joint Helicopter Force Keeps Things Moving in Afghanistan Article and Photo by Sharon Kean, Fleet Air Arm/ Royal Navy

Royal Navy Sea King Mk 4 undergoing exercises to join the rest Joint Helicopter Force in southern Afghanistan

elicopters are crucial to the success of operations in Helmand, and, from medical evacuation and troop movement to resupply and ground attack, the men and women of the Joint Helicopter Force do it all. There is no average day for Camp Bastion’s Joint Helicopter Force (JHF). It is responsible for around 150 flights every day and operates five very different types of helicopters across southern Afghanistan. The JHF may also be required to co-ordinate US flights. The day before my visit to its surprisingly small operations tent, an explosion in a busy market saw emergency response helicopters called out to lift more than 40 casualties to hospital. With the team sometimes having to respond to more than ten emergency calls in a day, organisation is key. Squadron Leader Pez Coles, the Chief of Staff, says: “There’s never panic here because everyone knows what they are doing. But it can get frenetic. The radios get very busy as aircraft move around theatre. Yesterday we got several aircraft to come back and pick up a medical team before going back out again immediately. “We had two of our Chinooks flying with Medical Emergency

Response Teams, two American aircraft and two Apaches overhead - one coordinating the aircraft and the other looking for anybody threatening them. And while those six aircraft were doing one thing, everybody else was carrying on around them. You can’t get too excited.” It’s not just the unpredictable emergency call-outs that keep the JHF busy. There is a hectic schedule of deliberate tasking - ferrying around essential stores, kit and troops to the smaller forward operating bases across

Helmand province. In most cases reaching them by road is too dangerous. Making sure these tasks are accomplished is the overall responsibility of Wing Commander Simon Paterson, the current Commanding Officer. He oversees thousands of flying hours each month and ensures the flight and ground crews keep up-to-date with the rapidly changing demands and the environment in which troops are fighting: “The requirement for moving people and kit around theatre is defined by the troops on the ground,” he says. Continue to page 15

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Features: Joint Helicopter Forces Keeps Moving in Afghanistan Continued from page 14

“We know what we’re trying to do and the decisions made in this building are about the tactical safety of putting the helicopters out on the ground, how many are needed and the amount of support they need from the attack helicopters.” The team can ramp things up during planned operations such as the recent Op TOR SHEZADA, during which the town of Sayedabad was taken from Taliban control. Both aircraft and aircrew flying hours have their limits for safety reasons, and these must be managed carefully: “We try to front-load the people and supplies out to the bases so we have some hours to spare,” explains Wing Commander Paterson, “but the requirement for helicopters and flying hours is pretty continuous and constant.” In the event of a major emergency, do they ever simply run out of helicopters? “On any given day, at any given moment, it’s possible to be short

of aircraft,” says Wing Commander Paterson. “If everything happens simultaneously, it’s a question of prioritisation. “Moving stores is a lower priority than the recovery of someone who’s been involved in an incident, be it a shooting or otherwise. We’ll move the helicopter to go and deal with the immediate, then return to the sustaining task that’s ongoing.” The operations room keeps in constant contact with the battle groups on the ground using a computer-based messaging system. A dedicated team follows the updates as they come through, passing on relevant information to the helicopter crews. This is particularly important during casualty extraction missions, which are often carried out under the highest level of threat: “An aircraft called out to deal with a gunshot wound and landing in the middle of a firefight will come under fire,” explains Squadron Leader Coles. “We need to know exactly what’s

happening, where it’s happening, and how best to get in and out of the zone.” The JHF is a truly tri-Service outfit, with an equal mix of Royal Navy, Army, RAF and Royal Marines manning its 24/7 operation. The aircraft are similarly representative, with RAF Chinooks and Merlins, Army Apaches and Lynx, and two types of Royal Navy Sea Kings. All fly out of Bastion. It is purely by coincidence that the current Commanding Officer is the RAF’s Wing Commander Paterson. His predecessor was an Army Air Corps officer. Whoever takes charge next will have to maintain the hectic pace of operations, which shows no signs of slowing: “It is getting busier and there are more tasks for the helicopters,” says Wing Commander Paterson. “You manage your sleep into odd corners of the day and work for most of the rest.”

Lessons Learned

Article by LT Dean Halton, USN

Doing a preflight inspection on the MH-60S.

s pilots, we all pride ourselves on being knowledgeable about our aircraft, our tactics, and our techniques. Most of us have had one or a few “so there I was” flights that will be retold over and over again because it taught us a lesson not easily forgotten. Some pilots prefer to teach flight techniques while others pass along their subject matter expertise. Still the most beneficial technique taught to me during my Helicopter Second Pilot (H2P) cruise was mission planning. It’s not glorious or exciting and that’s exactly the idea. Good planning ensures mission success before ever getting into the cockpit. Luckily for me, I did not have to dive into the bowels of another

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dry publication to learn these finer points to being a professional aviator. I just needed a little “green time.” My a p p r e c i a t i o n for how to effectively plan a mission and its true impact on situational awareness (SA) solidified midway through my H2P cruise with the World Famous Desert Hawks of HSC26 DET ONE. I had been in the Squadron for exactly a year and to this point my focus had been on memorizing the lists, limits, and procedures out of best-sellers like NATOPS, NTTP 3-50, and OPNAV 3710. Passing my H2P Board and completing my SWTP PQS took priority over developing a Continue to page 17

Features:

2010 NHA FLEET FLY-IN

**SCHEDULE OF EVENTS** 19 OCT 10 (TUE)

1100-1600 AIRCRAFT RECOVERY WINDOW 1100-1800 CBQ/RENTAL CAR CHECK-IN WINDOW 1100-1500 WELCOME ABOARD BBQ/SPORTS SIGN UP 1500 COURSE RULES BRIEF

20 OCT 10 (WED)

0730-0800 OPENING REMARKS, INDUSTRY AND STATIC DISPLAYS OPEN 0830...... NHA DIRECTORS MEETING 0900-1200 INDOC FLY WINDOW (NATOPS FLIGHT BRIEF AT 0800) 1200 GOLF TOURNAMENT 1200 SNA FLY WINDOW CLOSES. DISPLAYS AT INDUSTRY DISCRETION 1800 READY ROOM CRAWL

21 OCT 10 (THU)

0630 5K RUN 0800 DETAILER/MONITOR VISITS FOR FLEET AIRCREWS 0800-1015 COMMUNITY BRIEFS 0800-1030 INDUSTRY DISPLAYS OPEN 1030-1200 SENIOR OFFICER PANEL 1300-1600 INDUSTRY AND STATIC DISPLAYS OPEN, IP DETAILER/MONITOR INTERVIEWS 1300-1600 INDOC FLY WINDOW 1630 SNA SOFT-PATCH/HAPPY HOUR 1800 FLIGHT JACKET FORMAL, 60 YEARS OF ROTARY TRAINING (CAKE CUTTING)

22 OCT 10 (FRI)

0800-0900 FLEET AIRCREW BREAKFAST 0800-1700 AIRCRAFT DEPARTURE WINDOW, FLEET AIRCREW RENTAL CAR RETURN 1300 WINGING CEREMONY

NOTE: EXACT LOCATIONS FOR EVENTS ABOARD NAS WHITING FIELD WILL BE POSTED AT INBRIEF AND WELCOME ABOARD PACKAGES. Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Features: Lesssons Learned Continued from page 15

to reflect on the challenges I did not anticipate, and what I can offer to my fellow H2Ps are my lessons learned. (1) Get off the bench. Your SA of the whole mission is likely to improve drastically if you include yourself in the coordination effort early. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel a year down the road when you are the senior JO on DET because you never participated in the planning as a H2P. Routing requests for clearances, getting approval for waivers and receiving confirmation notices (in writing) are standard parts of the planning process; but being familiar with the process can save time and keep other members of the crew from making mistakes. (2) Save and print. The Navy maybe trying to go paperless but we are a long way from it, and the Army - even further. In order to complete our mission without breaking crew day we had to live at Udairi AAF and this required us to utilize Army transportation, Army tents, Army chow halls and a sister squadron’s equipment. For each of these logistical hurdles somebody had to make a lot of phone calls and sign a lot of paperwork. Keeping a record of who authorized what and a list of essential phone numbers will save the whole mission at some point - trust me. (3) Ask and you shall receive. On my last day flying out of Udairi AAF I had the opportunity to fly the Army’s low-level training routes in northern Kuwait. This opportunity did not come about by chance. Our mission lead made the effort to get the s pilots, we all pride ourselves hours approved for the training on being knowledgeable about and our maintainers and aircrew our aircraft, our tactics, and our made a dedicated effort to techniques. Most of us have had one keep the birds up. I doubt any or a few “so there I was” flights that will member of my crew will have be retold over and over again because it another chance to fly at 50 feet taught us a lesson not easily forgotten. and 60 knots as a form flight Some pilots prefer to teach flight over the Arabian Desert any techniques while others pass along their time soon. subject matter expertise. Still the most (4) Get personal. My beneficial technique taught to me during first jobs in the Squadron did my Helicopter Second Pilot (H2P) cruise not give me much exposure to was mission planning. It’s not glorious the Maintenance Department or exciting and that’s exactly the idea. and I did not get an education Good planning ensures mission success about maintenance until I was before ever getting into the cockpit. deployed. Helping with mission

firm grasp on how to apply what I knew to organize a mission. My priorities began to change when my flights began to take me into Kuwait more often than to the deck of a destroyer. Unlike my HSC brethren who fly VERTREP and SAR, the Desert Hawks have a unique mission as a logistics platform for Combined Task Force 53 (CTF-53) in the Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG). Our three bird detachment operates out of Bahrain International Airport and primarily moves passengers, mail, and cargo (PMC) to the ships moving in and out of FIFTH Fleet. This mission set requires us to be very flexible and execute flights with non-organic assets in unfamiliar areas. In mid-March, the Desert Hawks were tasked with transporting the Deputy Commander of U.S Fleet Forces, VADM Daly. His itinerary had us moving him to multiple locations throughout Kuwait, Iraq, and a couple of the coalition ships in the NAG. It was a non-standard (PMC) mission to be executed over three days operating away from the comforts of Bahrain and out of the 2515th Naval Air Ambulance Detachment spaces at Udairi AAF in Kuwait. The flying would be easy enough from a perspective of two experienced crews but the real challenge was setting it up. The extent of the logistics that went into operating away from home was an eye-opener. In the weeks since the mission I have had time

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planning for VADM Daly’s move got me off the computer and into the spaces to get a better understanding of our maintainers’ jobs. Ultimately, I recognized the need to schedule the right people for the overnight to complete the required maintenance while leaving enough of the right people behind to keep the other aircraft up. Reading the Monthly Maintenance Plan (MMP) is a start but knowing each of the guys on the line was invaluable when determining who to take to keep the birds up when our seats were limited. (5) Plan on ‘plan B’. Our two aircraft were outfitted with Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) gear which includes the Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS), the latest-and-greatest in the MH-60S world. The software program used to load the Flight Mission Computer was designed to incorporate the setup of this system. The VIP moves would be my first experience actually flying with flares loaded into the CMDS buckets. Unfortunately, my inexperience prevented me from realizing that I had setup the CMDS configuration incorrectly. This mistake was not recognized until the CMDS failed to load 10 minutes before takeoff on the morning of the mission. We planned to bring backup PCMCIA cards in the aircraft in case there was an issue and this foresight allowed us to load the CMDS correctly and continue the mission. Ironically, I have to admit I was still a “green” pilot on the morning of St. Patrick’s Day when I logged my first hour of “green time.” Recognizing that the execution of the mission begins long before walking to the bird is an epiphany I wish I had arrived at earlier in my career. Before you can get tactical you need to get the mission off the deck and at the risk of echoing the fabled wisdom of so many flight instructors, I must reaffirm: proper planning prevents poor performance. My experience flying as a Desert Hawk has emphasized how becoming a better pilot requires exercising the basics in and out of the cockpit and no other detachment in the HSC community does it better.

Feature

USNA’s 2010 Summer Soaring Program: Soaring as an Aviation Screening & Leadership Tool Article and Photo by CDR Brian Randall, USN

uilding on the success of 2009’s Summer Soaring Program (SSP) which provided aviation exposure to 150 members of the Brigade, USNA increased funding to expand Soaring training to more midshipmen for 2010’s Summer Training. As a result of the hard work of numerous midshipmen, staff, TAD Ensigns, and military veteran volunteers, the Naval Academy FixedWing Training Squadron (VT-NA) safely completed over 900 training sorties with 400 midshipmen assigned to the Naval Academy’s Summer Soaring Program!

Who is VT-NA and what purpose does it serve? The Naval Academy Training Squadron (VT-NA) is USNA’s only midshipmen-led professional development Aviation ECA; providing leadership & flight training opportunities (through Soaring) to aspiring Naval Aviators.

Why would the Naval Academy have a Soaring Program- isn’t the Navy about ships and submarines?

USNA is the Navy & Marine Corps’ single largest aviation accession source with over 40% of each graduating class service-selecting aviation: 75% pilot, 25% Naval Flight Officer. We commission nearly as many aviators per year as US Air Force Academy (USAFA), yet USNA does not provide any formal flight program(s) for its midshipmen prior to serviceselection. (USAFA provides Soaring, Powered-flight, & Sky-Diving programs to all their Cadets- regardless of serviceselection)

Why did VT-NA choose sailplanes over powered aircraft to provide initial flight exposure to midshipmen? Sailplane training is the safest, most relevant, & cost-effective initial flight training tool available. (Ref:

USAFA’s successful cadet-run “Soarfor All” program that has provided over 7,000 flight instruction sorties per year since 1964)

How can USNA provide a relevant introductory flight program for midshipmen during tight budgetary times? Due to sailplanes’ inherent simplicity, glider flight training operating costs are usually less than 1/3 that of powered aircraft. Additionally, by contracting with civilian Soaring facilities, USNA can provide its future Naval Aviators with Soaring instruction & leadership opportunities at a fraction of the cost of USAFA’s “Soar-for-All” flight/leadership training program.

VT-NA Soaring Program’s Mission The Naval Academy Training Squadron (VT-NA)’s Soaring Program is a highly structured midshipmen-led military flight training operation that provides year-round ground, simulator, & flight instruction, as well as a dedicated Summer Soaring Program. Our mission is to provide leadership opportunities, & act as an early flight-screening tool for midshipmen who wish to pursue careers in Naval Aviation. VT-NA’s Soaring program is open to all classes yet specifically targets 3rd Class & 2nd Class midshipmen prior to serviceselection.

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Why Sailplanes?

The long, efficient wings of sailplanes allow for very low stall speeds & benign handling qualities (a key safety feature for new students), & are particularly sensitive to adverse yaw (the tendency of an aircraft to turn away from the pilot’s desired direction of turn). A sailplane pilot must quickly learn to precede any lateral stick movements (roll) with appropriate pedal inputs (yaw). This combination of low speeds, benign handling, & adverse yaw renders sailplanes the most appropriate platforms for new students to learn the fundamental “stick & rudder” skills required for safe, coordinated flight. Additionally, midshipmen are introduced to a critical decision-making process which involves reading weather patterns in order to snatch energy from the atmosphere resulting in prolonged flights; handling emergency procedures; and approach & landing considerations. The training provides a solid aeronautical foundation invaluable to the success of our future Naval Aviators.

An Incremental approach to Flight Training In education, as well as flight training, an incremental “crawl-walkrun” approach is the most effective way to learn. No one would dream of running a marathon without first learning how to walk! Continue on page 19

Features: 2010 Summer Soaring Program Continued from page 18

Therefore, starting with sailplanes, VT-NA’s goal is to safely screen aviation-motivated 3rd Class & 2nd Class midshipmen prior to service-selection through the academic year & Summer Soaring Programs. After making a career decision for Naval Aviation, successful screeners could then advance to powered-flight where they would be further exposed to the complexities of the airspace environment. Upon satisfactory completion of these two “crawl-walk” stages, newly commissioned Ensigns & 2nd LTs would be ready to “hit the deck running” when they report to Pensacola for flight training in the high performance T-34C Turbomentor & T-6 Texan II turboprop training aircraft. A detailed analysis of cost to train and attrition data conducted in 2002 revealed that each attrited Student Naval Aviator costs the US taxpayer upwards of $160,000. It doesn’t take long to see the value of a proper flight exposure and/or screening program. A flight-screening process that quantifies aviation candidates’ aptitudes early on, as afforded through VT-NA’s Soaring Program, would greatly aid USNA’s general service-selection process. The incremental approach would significantly improve the competency of flight students entering the Naval Aviation Training pipeline; thus reducing the numbers of flight attritions leading to a sizable savings for both the Navy & the US taxpayer.

2010 Summer Soaring Program: making it come together! Shortly after the completion of 2009’s Summer Soaring Program VTNA’s midshipmen kicked-off planning meetings with USNA’s leadership. Armed with the favorable exit surveys from the 150 midshipmen who had participated, VT-NA approached the former Commandant, RADM Mathew Klunder, with a proposal to increase the scope of the Soaring program to reach a larger percentage of the Brigade who wished to pursue careers in Naval

The midshipmen that particpated in the 2010 Summer Soaring Program Aviation. Anticipating a larger number of midshipmen for the 2010 Summer Soaring Program; a plan to increase staff was created. VT-NA’s midshipmen held weekly planning meetings to create training schedules for midshipmen tow pilots and glider instructors. Yes, VT-NA’s midshipmen make up the bulk of the acting tow pilots and FAAdesignated flight instructors for the program. Nearby gliding clubs were contacted to muster up additional volunteer support. A new contract was hammered-out with 2009’s host, MidAtlantic Soaring Association (M-ASA), to provide aircraft and their Fairfield, PA glider port for the exclusive use of flight training midshipmen and staff during weekdays over the summer months. M-ASA and Front Royal Soaring club graciously stepped-up to

the plate by providing voluntary Certified Flight Instructors-Glider (CFI-G) and tow pilots, most of whom are military veterans, to augment VT-NA’s flight staff. These FAA-certified flight instructors helped VTNA qualify additional tow pilots and flight instructors from among the ranks of military winged Aviators and midshipmen. With M-ASA’s facilities, aircraft and military veteran volunteers; USNA was able to meet the needs of growing Brigade interest.

Midshipmen Leadership I’d like to emphasize that VTNA’s Soaring Program is not just a flight training tool that introduces members of the Brigade to an aviation experience; it is also a very effective leadership program for the midshipmen and TAD Ensigns who run the VT-NA year-round. Continue to page 20

he Naval Academy Training Squadron (VT-NA)’s Soaring Program is a highly structured midshipmenled military flight training operation that provides year-round ground, simulator, & flight instruction, as well as a dedicated Summer Soaring Program. Our mission is to provide leadership opportunities, & act as an early flight-screening tool for midshipmen who wish to pursue careers in Naval Aviation. VT-NA’s Soaring program is open to all classes yet specifically targets 3rd Class & 2nd Class midshipmen prior to service-selection.

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Feature: 2010 Summer Soaring Program Continued from page 19

From inception through completion, VT-NA’s Summer Soaring Program is a midshipmen–led training evolution. They run the daily flight schedules, and are in charge of the logistics, billeting, and transportation issues. Midshipmen coordinate with USNA staff and volunteers to maintain the watch bills required for safe glider port operations, tow piloting, and flight & ground instruction.

Running the Program! From June 2 – August 18, 2010, the Summer Soaring Program provided initial flight exposure to midshipmen in six training blocks lasting two weeks each. Approximately 65 midshipmen were assigned to each block. These midshipmen were identified as the target audience because they would soon have to make their service selection decision. Each two week training block encompassed 35 hours of intensive FAA ground school instruction covering the principles of flight and regulations. Additionally, a sailplane flight training

T-NA’s Soaring Program is not just a flight training tool that introduces members of the Brigade to an aviation experience; it is also a very effective leadership program for the midshipmen and TAD Ensigns who run the VT-NA year-round.

regimen was developed to take the midshipmen from classroom to cockpit. Upon successful completion of the Summer Soaring Program, qualified participating midshipmen earned a logbook endorsement to take their FAA Private Pilot written exam. (Approximately 150 midshipmen satisfactorily met the FAA requirements). A sheet reflecting their exam scores and flight performance was entered into their

midshipman Aviation Service Selection Board packet for future consideration. Once again, the Summer Soaring Program proved to be popular with the midshipmen who participated. The most common request heard from many of the midshipmen was “more flight time and less class time, please!” Perhaps the most important metric, however, was a frequent comment made in the numerous exit surveys submitted by those desiring to service select Aviation: “the soaring program is one of the most relevant training programs currently available at USNA.”

We wholeheartedly agree. Fly Safe! CDR Brian Randall, USNA ’94, flew MH-53E’s & MH-60S’ helicopters in the Fleet. He is currently an instructor in the Aerospace Engineering Dept, & is VT-NA’s Soaring Officer Representative & CFI-G.

Marines, Sailors Conduct Rescue Training To Stay Mission Ready Article and Photos by Lance Cpl. Aaron Hostutler, USMC

he pilot is concentrating on avoiding enemy fire and getting his crew to a safe zone. The victim is concentrating on the look in the eyes of the corpsman kneeling over him. The corpsman? His only thought is saving his patient’s life. At the Central Training Area Aug. 5, sailors with 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marines with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing conducted Tactical Combat Casualty Care training in order to remain mission ready and prepared for a similar scenario. “They need to be familiar with care in a helicopter,” said Petty Officer Continue on page 21

Sailors and Marines conduct CASEVAC with a simulated victim onto CH-46

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Feature: Marine, Sailors Conduct Rescue Training to Stay Ready Continued from page 20

1st Class Robert Nunez, the training lead petty officer with the battalion. “There are more chances for your victim to get hypothermia. There’s less space to work with and usually less equipment and also the risk of oxygen saturation. We stress these guys out about these things now so it’s not such a shock to their system when it really happens.” This training is part of the corpsmen’s predeployment training designed to give them the skills they need to be successful in combat. Some of the skills taught during this training are care under fire, tactical field care, hemorrhage control, treatment for shock and an introduction to Military Operations in Urban Terrain. “When these sailors deploy, they are attached to a Shock Trauma Platoon,” said Nunez. “But then they attach to Marine units and go on foot patrols.” Sailors learn combat operations training like MOUT because sometimes the situation requires them to defend themselves and make that transition back to healing the wounded, said Nunez.

LT Elyse Braxton, training officer in charge, demonstrates to sailors about the differences of treating a victim on a helicopter as opposed to on the ground. “You perform at a moment’s notice, day or night. We prepare them for that,” Nunez said. While the corpsmen may have seemingly benefited the most, the training also gave flight crews an opportunity to hone their skills in flying and communicating with other services. “This is the bread and butter of what we do,” said Capt. Robin Brewer, a CH-46 helicopter aircraft commander with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 , Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “It’s one of our core missions. Every single time we deploy we have a [casualty evacuation mission] standing by. We do it for Cobra Gold, Talon Vision, Balikatan - all the major operations and exercises we do in the Pacific.” Training with medical personnel gave the Marines with the squadron a chance to practice receiving and reacting to a MEDEVAC call. They get their information about the patient, landing zone and any special gear they need to bring

along in a format known as the nine-line brief. “The nine-line lets us know the priority of the victim, and where they need to be taken, based off of how bad they’re injured,” said Brewer. A positive benefit of this training for both Marines and sailors is gaining muscle memory for these procedures. They learn what to do and can do it quickly and efficiently. “Muscle memory. They run on the helicopter quickly. We have to have our ramp down and ready for them, get them strapped in and get in the air as quickly as possible,” Brewer added. Training like the one conducted in the Central Training Area is done to ensure that when the victim looks in the eyes of the corpsman he doesn’t see an expression of panic. The corpsman is calm because he knows that both he and the pilot know exactly what they’re doing.

Sailors with 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force go through CASEVAC scenario with HMM-265. Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Feature:

Deepwater Horizon and Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans Article by Ltjg. Rebecca Fosha, USCG

hen the Search and Rescue duty crew at Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans received a call at 2210 on April 20, 2010 that the Deepwater Horizon Mobil Offshore Drilling Unit had exploded, they knew this would not be an ordinary search and rescue case. The initial reports described a major explosion located approximately 100 nm south of the air station with the possibility of 150 people in the water. Two MH65C Dolphin helicopters - CG6605 and CG6576 - launched from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans within 18 minutes and 1 hour respectively to respond to the call. They didn’t know what they would find but saw the glow of the burning oil rig almost immediately after takeoff, even without night vision goggles. The Deepwater Horizon rig was completely engulfed, with flames

rising 600 feet above the water’s surface and black smoke billowing thousands of feet in the air. Within a half mile of the towering inferno, the aircrew could feel the heat coming off the rig and their night vision goggles were completely useless in the bright light. CG6605 was the first helicopter on scene and assumed Search and Rescue On Scene Commander duties; they would eventually coordinate nine other Coast Guard and civilian aircraft that would respond to the rescue. The off-shore support vessel Damon Bankston, one of hundreds of support boats contracted by oil companies to provide transportation and logistics to oil rig crews, embarked survivors of the blast and started a muster for an accurate count of missing workers. While the Damon Bankston determined how many injured crew members they

he Deepwater Horizon rig was completely engulfed, with flames rising 600 feet above the water ’s surface and black smoke billowing thousands of feet in the air. Within a half mile of the towering inferno, the aircrew could feel the heat coming off the rig and their night vision goggles were completely useless in the bright light. CG6605 was the first helicopter on scene and assumed Search and Rescue On Scene Commander duties; they would eventually coordinate nine other Coast Guard and civilian aircraft that would respond to the rescue.

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

embarked, CG6605 descended below the flames just 200 feet from the burning hulk to search the water for possible survivors under the rig. They circled the rig several times but found only debris. Those who had jumped off or evacuated the rig after the explosion had already been recovered by the Damon Bankston. LT. Cmdr. Tom Hickey, the Pilot in Command (PIC) of CG6605, contacted the Damon Bankston and began sorting out where the most critically injured were and where they needed to go. The pilot at the controls of the CG6605, Lt. Craig Murray, began preparations for medical evacuations of the survivors. To provide a proper survey of the injured on Damon Bankston, the CG6605’s Rescue Swimmer, Chief Aviation Survival Technician (ASTC) Kurt Peterson, was hoisted to the deck of the vessel. Trudging through oil, drilling mud, and avoiding flying debris from the secondary explosions from the rig, Peterson teamed up with two civilian medical technicians Continue on page 23

Deepwater Horizon fire at night as seen from the cabin door of CG6605 (MH65C), 20 April 2010. Official USCG photo taken by AET2 Scott Lloyd.

Feature: Deepwater Horizon and Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans Continued from page 22

already on board to begin triage. He and the medical technicians prepared the most critically injured for helicopter transfer. With CG6605 low on fuel, Peterson identified one severely burned victim and physically carried the patient through the slippery decks to CG6605â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awaiting rescue basket before it departed to refuel. Additional aircraft arrived from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile to join the operation; an MH-65C (CG6531) and an HH60J (CG6010). As his own aircraft prepared to medevac personnel, Hickey tasked the additional arriving aircraft to conduct search patterns around the rig, and sequenced helicopters to the Damon Bankston to medevac the most severely wounded victims. Peterson assembled the rescue swimmers from the other helicopters as they were hoisted to the Damon Bankston and tasked them with prepping the injured for medevac. Peterson and Aviation Survival Technician Third Class (AST3) Dustin Bernatovich, from CG6576, helped carry two patients on litters above their heads in order to navigate through obstructions from fittings and pipes. Peterson and Bernatovich would not leave the Damon Bankston until 0630 the next morning. Civilian contract helicopters were also on scene within the first few hours and helped medevac the injured back to shore. Two nearby rigs provided refueling and services for aircraft, aircrews and survivors. Over the next twelve hours, four crews from Air Station New Orleans hoisted or transferred 10 injured from the Damon Bankston and brought 3 back to shore for treatment. All but 11 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) personnel were accounted for. The search for the 11 missing crewmen went on for four days, going through almost every pilot, flight mechanic and rescue swimmer at the air station. The last 11 were never found. An ongoing media response paralleled the search and rescue response. It took about 24 hours after the rig explosion for the media to start calling, and the next several days were filled with correspondents from every

EMS Crews and NAS JRB New Orleans Firefighters tend to an injured man as he is unloaded from CG6576 (MH65C). Photo courtesy of US Coast

Guard Air Station New Orleans Public Affairs major national network broadcasting live from the Air Station New Orleans hangar as mechanics worked on helicopters around them. Good Morning America, CNN American Morning, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, the Wall Street Journal, and Associated Press were among those aggressively pursuing stories which made for a very busy operation on shore. Every member of the first responding crews was interviewed multiple times; all hands at the air station were exhausted by the end of the week, when sadly, the search was suspended. Things seemed to settle down for the weekend, until the

Coast Guard District Eight Commander, Rear Admiral Mary Landry, and a BP spokesman announced that oil had been found to be leaking from the damaged blow out preventer and drill pipe. Flights resumed to survey the extent of the oil on the surface, many with media on board to inform the public about the developing situation, possible environmental and economic impact, and the response efforts of the agencies involved with stopping the flow of oil and the subsequent cleanup. The following week, the demand for aerial footage continued but it was also time for Air Station New Orleans Continue on page 24

our crews from Air Station New Orleans hoisted or transferred 10 injured from the Damon Bankston and brought 3 back to shore for treatment. All but 11 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) personnel were accounted for. The search for the 11 missing crewmen went on for four days, going through almost every pilot, flight mechanic and rescue swimmer at the air station. The last 11 were never found.

Rotor Review # 110 Summer â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10

Feature: Deepwater Horizon and Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans Continued from page 23

to get back to other important business of search and rescue readiness and operations. Recognizing that if oil approached the coast, the opportunities for vital hoist training with coastal small boat stations would evaporate, flying missions were also focused to the business of keeping pilots and aircrews qualified and proficient. As efforts to stop the leak were tried and tried again, the “usual SAR” in the Air Station New Orleans AOR began to pick back up and NOLA crews were ready to respond. At the time of this article, Air Station New Orleans has prosecuted more than 130 SAR cases since the DWH explosion. Meanwhile ADM Thad Allen (USCG Ret.), the National Incident Commander, and Coast Guard Commandant ADM Robert Papp activated a “Katrina like” response to the ongoing oil spill and cleanup efforts. In addition to the hard work of Coast Guard surface forces cleaning the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, aircraft and support staff from around the country were deployed to Air Station New Orleans and ATC Mobile. They became more well-versed in oil identification than they ever imagined they would be. Each day, DWH aircrews were assigned several blocks on a grid in the Gulf to patrol. They identified oil in the blocks by definitions such as rainbow sheen, silver sheen, emulsified, dark, streamers, windrows and tar balls, lingo more familiar to Coast Guard Marine

CG6540 orbits the CGC Resolute 4 July 2010. In the background one of two Development Driller Rigs can be seen, both engaged in drilling to cap the leaking well head. Also seen is the burnoff from the ship collecting oil from the containment cap which has been in place since early June. U.S.

Coast Guard photo taken by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Belson Science Technicians than to aviators. They reported the oil to various response posts along the coast that then directed skimming and oil cleanup assets to that block. In addition these deployed crews were flying senior government leaders and media to help keep the chain of command and the public informed about the ongoing dynamic situation in the Gulf of Mexico. An MH65C from Air Station New Orleans was deployed to the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute, which was coordinating surface oil cleanup assets as well as serving as a search and rescue guard for the people and ships involved in the biggest oil spill response in history.

Today, as BP is in the final stages of sealing the Deepwater Horizon well with drilling mud and concrete, Coast Guard units across the Gulf of Mexico with the help of TAD personnel from around the nation continue to respond to the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Explosion. The peak of a hurricane season predicted to be very active looms, and search and rescue cases from summer recreation and waterborne industries keep aviation crews very busy. As always, the professionals at Air Station New Orleans, and indeed across the US Coast Guard remain ready to respond to whatever challenge is presented to them.

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Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Feature

All In a Day’s Work Article by LCDR Dennis Wajda, USN

n 17 March 2010, we had if there was a legitimate medevac, the surrounding the datum were just too just finished a long day of patients would be taken to University of steep so we slowed to 60 KIAS and made VIP-transfers. Charger 76 (HSC-26) Miami Field hospital in the vicinity of circles around the datum. The third lat/ was mission lead and Crusader 17 (HSC- Port Au Prince airport. long took us to another ridgeline about 22) was flying back-up with passengers. The second lat/long that 1.5 miles west of the original datum at The mission for the day was to transport SANITY passed made a little more 2,200’. Again, the only things we saw LGEN Keen (JTF-Commander, Haiti) sense, but took us directly into the were a few shanty shacks, horses and to ARGBAT LZ, a landing zone 60 mountains located 15 miles south/ goats. We had now spent roughly 30 miles to the north of minutes searching when Port au Prince near the AWACS relayed our Gonaives, then to fourth lat/long, which e followed the river bed a little further Grand Goave LZ, an proved successful. We and sure enough – in what looked like a LZ 30 miles to the were told that the medevac surreal picture from a movie set – was southwest of Port Au was on the west side of a vehicle on its side, in the river bed, surrounded Prince. We had just a river gorge. As we finished dropping plugged in the Navigation by people. We conducted a SWEEP check LGEN Keen off Reference Point into ensuring that we had the power available, an at the Embassy our flight computer, we egress path, good winds and suitable LZ size at approximately checked our fuel – 1,700 1545 and were lbs. Setting a bingo of to land. With as narrow as the canyon was, headed back to the 1,000 lbs to make it back there was very little room to land the aircraft. BATAAN when to the ship, we had a little Additionally, once getting “in” to the zone, the we received a call over 35 minutes on station from ICEPACK before we had to return surface was all jagged rocks. We decided to asking whether or expeditiously back to the place the aircraft in the widest part of the river not we were able ship or risk running out of gorge about 150 yards from the actual crash site. to do a medevac. fuel. Our frustration as a Thinking that most crew was growing with the of the high priority poor communications and medevacs were completed, we didn’t southeast of Port Au Prince. As the lead the faulty lat/longs up to this point. have much hope that this was going aircraft, we made the decision to keep As we neared the final lat/long, to come to fruition. We immediately Crusader 17 with us in the event we I could see a widening river bed. We switched comms to SANITY- the Tactical needed a communications relay. This followed the river bed a little further Watch Officer (TACWO) frequency back was probably one of the best decisions and sure enough – in what looked like at the ship. SANITY was able to give we could have made that day, as the a surreal picture from a movie set – was us our first of four erroneous lat/longs. mountains made communicating with a vehicle on its side, in the river bed, This first lat/long ended up being a US SANITY very tough. The second datum surrounded by people. We conducted Army base camp located on a soccer took us to a ridgeline about 2,000’ high. a SWEEP check ensuring that we had field near downtown Port Au Prince The mountain peaks around there topped the power available, an egress path, about 2 miles due south of the airfield. off at roughly 4,000’. Crusader circled good winds and suitable LZ size to land. My first inclination was that we had to at about 3,000’ for communications to With as narrow as the canyon was, there medevac a US soldier with a concussion talk to the AWACS orbiting overhead. was very little room to land the aircraft. or massive bleeding. Turns out there We continued to orbit at 2,000’ over the Additionally, once getting “in” to the was nothing in and around the site that datum looking for any sort of people zone, the surface was all jagged rocks. warranted a medevac so we continued in extremis. As updated intelligence We decided to place the aircraft in the to circle the site waiting for an update. from SANITY would suggest, we were widest part of the river gorge about 150 Our fuel was sitting at roughly 2,200 looking for an automobile accident with yards from the actual crash site. lbs so we had about an hour and fifteen an unknown number of victims. The Once we landed, our crew minutes to play with before we had to ironic thing was there were no roads, chief and rescue swimmer exited the bingo back to the ship. USS Bataan populated areas, or vehicles anywhere aircraft with the medical kit and the (LHD-5) was located 30 miles due west near the datum. Conducting any sort Continue on page 26 of Port Au Prince. It was decided that of search pattern was futile as the walls

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Feature: All In A Day’s Work Continued from page 25

litter. Five minutes later, they were back with an update. A car had gone off the side of the mountain and plummeted into the gorge. It just so happened that an Australian Peace Corps team was in the area distributing food when they saw the accident. They were able to render immediate first aid and called in the medevac to the embassy, which later relayed it to the JTF-Haiti air cell. The rescue swimmer, AWS2 Nawn, reported that there were three serious injuries that would require litter transport and four ambulatory injuries that would not require litter transport. We called to Crusader 17 to update SANITY (and the AWACS) with our lat/long and fuel state. We were sitting at 1,400 lbs, and we were not in a good area of the country to run out of fuel due to the terrain. We opted to bring Crusader 17 in ahead of us to expedite picking up the ambulatory but less critical patients. This helped save both critical aircraft fuel we would need to make it home. Crusader was able to side-step into the mountain pass and land due west of us. Their crewmen were vital in assisting with the rescue. The three aircrew they brought along on their aircraft for that day’s VIP mission were instrumental in bringing the patients into the aircraft and updating the pilots in both Charger 76 and Crusader 17. The Crewchief, AWS2 McMahon, in Charger 76 expeditiously broke down the seats as the Australians and Petty Officer Nawn figured out the best way to transport the most critical patients to the aircraft. Slogging through a foot of water in the river and jagged rocks made the movement of the patients that much harder. The three most critical patients had massive head injuries and possible internal bleeding. By now, the Australians had solicited the help of some local Haitians to help carry the injured to the waiting aircraft. The Australians and aircrew ingeniously used a door as a backboard and a baseball cap as a cervical collar. With the help of Crusader 17’s crew, we were able to get one patient on the impromptu backboard and the other two patients on litters that Charger 76 and Crusader 17 carried internally. As the

crewmen hurried as fast as they could the fuel continued to tick down – 1,250 lbs. As aircraft commander, my biggest concern was fuel state. With the transit to the airport field hospital being 15 miles away, and the ship being another 30 miles away from PAP, it didn’t leave us a lot of loiter time to get the patients off-loaded and return back to Bataan. I was just about to unstrap and get out of the aircraft to get my own update when the first of the three litter patients arrived to Charger 76. By now a crowd of local Haitians had gathered along the upper banks of the river to watch. It was surreal to watch a wooden door being loaded onto the aircraft with a badly injured Haitian onboard. While the second and third patients were being loaded (with the help of the Australians and some locals) – we could see the more ambulatory patients being carried or helped to Crusader 17. From the field diagnosis, the first of our patients had massive cranial injuries, the second, two broken legs, a broken arm and head trauma, and the final patient had massive head trauma, (cerebral fluid was exiting his ears), and a broken back/leg. The crewmen on Charger 76 cleared the aircraft and we carefully lifted out of the zone. Charger 76’s crew was quickly on its way to Port Au Prince Airport at the maximum safe speed given the patients’ status in the back of the cabin. I had already programmed in the field hospital coordinates into the flight computer as a navigation reference point. The airport was roughly 15 miles away. We quickly updated our fuel state with SANITY while I talked to PAP tower.

They cleared us direct to the taxiway where the University of Miami Field hospital was located and where we had taken so many other medevacs during the previous months. With some new and streamlined procedures in-place, we were redirected to the grassy ramp located in the southwest corner of the airfield. Virtually all military helicopters had been landing here since January 15th where the first of over 1,000 medevacs conducted throughout the mission took place. An ambulance from the field hospital met us at the ramp within five minutes of our arrival. Crusader 17 was now airborne and we directed her to the same location so as not to waste precious time and fuel. Our fuel was now sitting at 1,100 lbs. An Air Force crisis response team met us on the ramp at PAP and with the assistance of their corpsman and ambulance team we had all seven patients off-loaded and ready for transport within ten minutes. We were at our bingo. Making a quick call to PAP tower, Charger 76 and Crusader 17 were off the deck and on our way back to Bataan. As we landed on Bataan I did a quick sweep of the gauges – 650 lbs of fuel – about ten minutes of fuel remaining. All in all, a good day’s work, but completely unexpected. Both crews executed flawless, on-the-spot CRM both externally and internally in their own aircraft. Several “lessons learned” ultimately surfaced as a result of this rescue. Fuel planning, crew coordination, communication, and joint-coordination all have to line up for a rescue to be conducted safely and effectively.

The Two MEDEVAC Teams Charger 76:

Crusader 17:

LCDR Dennis Wajda

LT Victor Duenow

LTJG Michael Molloy

LTJG Timothy White

AWS2 Justin McMahon

AWS2 Calah Sanchez

AWS2 Richard Nawn

AWS2 Michael Whitney

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

AWS2 Soonja Tyrrell

Feature

NAS Whidbey Island SAR Rescues Injured Teen Article by Kimberly Martin, NAS Whidbey Island Public Affairs.

S A R launched an MH60S Knighthawk with a crew of six personnel. Ground rescue teams reached the injured hiker and r e n d e r e d first aid. Once on l o c a t i o n , the SAR crew analyzed the Seattle KING 5 TV News (NBC) reporter Gary Chittum s i t u a t i o n interviews Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Richmond “Keith” and b e g a n Roy, left, and helicopter aircraft commander, Lt. Brandon conducting basic Sheets, aboard a U.S. Navy (MH-60S) Knight Hawk search operational risk and rescue (SAR) helicopter. U.S. Navy photo by Tony Popp management, t a k i n g everything into consideration in order aval Air Station Whidbey to embark on a safe and successful Island search and rescue (SAR) personnel responded to a call extraction mission. The biggest obstacle for assistance from the Mason County was the 450-foot High Steel Bridge spanning the canyon. Sheriff’s Office Aug. 17. LT Brandon Sheets, SAR pilot A 15-year old girl had fallen off and mission commander, said the crew a cliff and into the river in Skokomish conducted power checks, determined River Canyon while hiking with her wind levels and direction, checked the family.

clearances under the bridge and ran through the scenario. “When we showed up we took a deep breath, surveyed everything and formulated a plan,” said Sheets. “Once we had a good plan we knew we could do it safely.” The pilots flew the aircraft into position and held it in a steady hover so SAR crew member Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Richmond Roy, could rappel down to the river with the litter. Continue on page 28

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

LT Zenner manuvered the MH-60S underneath the bridge to the rescue area. Photo taken by Deputy Erik Heilman, Mason County, WA Sheriff Department.

Feature: NAS Whidbey Island SAR rescues injured teen

Continued from page 27

nce on l o c a t i o n , the SAR crew a n a l y z e d the s i t u a t i o n and b e g a n conducting basic operational risk management, taking everything into consideration in order to embark on a safe and successful extraction mission. The biggest obstacle was the 450-foot High Steel Bridge spanning the canyon.

Due to the river’s current and the wind kicked up by the rotor blades, Roy stayed on the line. He said thanks in part to the ground rescue crew the patient was ready for transfer. She was placed in a litter, carried to the line and then hooked for a lift up into the helicopter with Roy. “The rotors caused a funnel of wind in the canyon and that’s what made us spin more than usual,” said Roy. “I was able to slow it down some (with arm motions).” The entire time the aircraft was under the bridge, the crew had eyes on the rotors and was calling out distances to ensure they maintained adequate clearances on both sides. Sheets said he estimates they were actually on scene no more than 11 minutes, even though it felt longer. “LT Zenner did an awesome job holding the bird rock solid,” said Roy. “That made it possible to get the patient hooked up and in the aircraft so quickly.” Once in the aircraft, the pilots maneuvered the helicopter back out from under the bridge, gained elevation out of the canyon and headed east for Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. NAS Whidbey Island’s SAR crews have successfully conducted 17 missions this year.

(front, from l-r) LT Brandon Sheets; and ASW1 Andrew Worth; (back from l-r) LT Scott Zenner, NAC2 Brian Casey; HM2 Richmond Roy; and ASWC Jeremiah Wilkins. Photo by Tony Popp, USN

Navy, Marine Corps Team Moves to Southern Pakistan Article by MC2 (SW/AW) R. David Valdez, USN

he U.S. Navy and Marine Corps team, partnering with the Pakistani government, is moving from Ghazi to a southern location at Pano Aqil Air Base, near Sukkur, Pakistan, to support relief operations as flood waters move south.   Four CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 (Reinforced) (HMM-165 (REIN)) are the initial heavy-lift capable aircraft moving to Pano Aqil. Two of the helicopters arrived from Ghazi, and two more helicopters are flying in from amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5).   The transition will be complete when the CH-46E and CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters from HMM-165 and the MH-53E helicopters from Helicopter Mine Members of a U.S. Navy air crew assigned to HM Continue on page 29

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

15, Det TWO, help Pakistani soldiers unload relief supplies from a MH-53E Sea Dragon. Photo taken by Capt. Paul Duncan, USMC

Feature: Navy, Marine teams move to Southern Pakistan Continued from page 28

Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) also move from Ghazi to Pano Aqil.   “The contribution of the Navy and Marine Corps helicopters in northern Pakistan has been tremendous,” said RADM Sinclair Harris, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Five and the officer in charge of Task Force 59, the Navy’s task force for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. “But the flood damage throughout Pakistan is extensive, and there is still a long way to go. We’re working with the government of Pakistan to make an impact in other areas, as well.”   U.S. Army helicopters are due to backfill the Navy and Marine Corps helicopters in the Swat Valley in the coming days ensuring there will be a continued effort between the U.S. military and the Pakistani government to assist people affected by the floods in the northern regions. The Army’s Chinooks and UH-60 Blackhawks are well suited for the mountainous regions in the north, and their arrival allows the Navy and Marine helicopters to operate in the flatter terrain of the southern areas and provide more rapid support missions with Peleliu.

Marines assigned to Combat Cargo and Sailors assigned to HSC 23 Wildcard prepare to load humanitarian assistance disaster relief supplies on an MH-60S aboard USS Peleliu (LHA 5). Photo taken by MC3 Ian Campbell, USN.

historical

Medevac From Luzon

s m a l l band of helicopter pilots risked their lives to rescue wounded soldiers during World War II. 2nd Lt. Carle and other help the injured person into the R-4B for MEDVAC from Luzon, Republic of Phillipines. Photo courtesy of Air & Space Magazine Article and Photo by Roger Connor

Reprint from Air & Space Magazine, July 01, 2010

ouis Carle thought his helicopter was small enough to land in a clearing on a jungle hilltop in Luzon. It was June 1945, the waning days of the Pacific war, and Carle, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, was trying to evacuate a wounded American soldier from the main island in the Philippines. Carle began a cautious descent in his Sikorsky R-4B, but a rotor tip hit a tree, and with an abrupt jerk, the helicopter began thrashing itself to pieces. Continue on page 30

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Historical: MEDEVAC in Luzon Continued from page 29

After the helicopter hit the ground, Carle was helped from the wreckage. He found himself sitting in the midst of a small band of U.S. soldiers. Nearby, starving but wellarmed Japanese squads were determined to resist to the end. With injuries to his head and leg and a splinter of a wood rotor blade lodged behind his right eye, Carle had no choice but to order the U.S. soldiers to fire bazooka rounds into the wreckage and destroy his helicopter. He then began an arduous trek out of the mountainous jungle. Before he reached safety, he encountered one of the Japanese soldiers. Carle, armed with a pistol, shot and killed him. From June 15 to July 29, 1945, Carle and five other pilots evacuated 75 to 80 wounded soldiers, one or two at a time, from the highlands northeast of Manila. Although they were not the first helicopter pilots to fly in combatóthat

distinction belongs to Lieutenant Carter Harman of the First Air Commando Group, who flew the first medical evacuations, in Burma on April 23, 1944 -- they were the first to be targeted by enemy fire: Japanese soldiers tried to shoot them down with machine guns. Their six-week effort constitutes the largest combat helicopter operation before the Korean War, yet their contributions remain largely unknown. The evacuation of casualties had been contemplated as a mission that helicopters could perform for the armed services, but it is not the mission that the six pilots were trained for, and it is not why their first-generation helicopters were sent to the Philippines. Pilots and helicopters had been assigned to the Pacific theater to ferry aircraft parts for a program known as Project Ivory Soap. With this project, the Army Air Forces used U.S. Army-owned ships as floating depots to maintain the aircraft of groups

The R-4B helicopter was used for medical evacuation and ferry transfers to pick up parts for the U.S. Boeing B-29. Photo courtesy of Air & Space Magazine

stationed in the Pacific. Early in the war, air groups often waited months for replacement parts and supplies to reach the Pacific isles on which they were based; with repair ships floating nearby, aircraft could be turned around much faster. By December 1943, Project Ivory Soap had evolved into a fleet of six Liberty ships, designated Aircraft Repair Units (Floating), and 18 smaller ships, designated Aircraft Maintenance Units (Floating). In the final year of the war, the program proved essential for maintaining the tempo of Pacificbased aircraft operations by conducting nearly all of the most intensive maintenance functions, with the exception of engine overhaul. By far the most distinctive feature of the floating repair ships was their helicopters. In addition to the R-4B, Sikorsky had made two other helicopters for World War II: the R-5 and R-6. The R-4 was a trainer intended merely to introduce the helicopterís potential to the military; the R-6 was a further evolution, designed as a liaison aircraft. The R-5 was the true workhorse, the only one of the group capable of lifting a substantial load. Unfortunately, the much larger R-5 suffered a series of engineering delays and was not ready for deployment until several months after the war ended. The R-6 also suffered delays, but saw limited service in the last three months of the war. That left the lowly R-4 trainer to bear the brunt of helicopter operations from April 1944 onward. Under ideal conditions, the R-4 could carry, in addition to the pilot and fuel, only 195 pounds, which meant only instruments and small components such as propeller hubs. But the timely delivery of even small payloads was highly valued. The First Aircraft Repair Unit deployed on October 11, 1944, and by the following February, all six vessels were in the Pacific. At the start of June 1945, the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Aircraft Repair Units were operating in the Philippines, supporting the Fifth Air Force, while the remaining three supported the 20th Air Force in the Marianas. (The First and Second Aircraft Repair Units were specially equipped and trained to support B-29s in the Marianas, including repair of their radar and complex central fire control systems.) Each of the ships had a 40- by 72-foot steel deck for helicopter operations. Carle and First Lieutenant Robert Cowgill were assigned to the Fifth Aircraft Continue on page 31

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Historical: MEDEVAC in Luzon Continued from page 30

Repair Unit. On June 15, with Cowgill away to pick up the first Sikorsky R-6A to make it into the theater, the Fifth Air Force received a request from the 38th Infantry Division to evacuate two soldiers with head injuries from a spot 35 miles east of Manila. Carle was immediately dispatched in one of the unit’s R-4s. Reaching what he thought was the designated spot, Carle recalled: “All hell broke loose as a hail of 100-pound bombs started dropping all around me. I got out of there but quick. When I got my breath back, I saw a squadron of P-47s dive-bombing the spot I had just been flying.” (Carle gave accounts of his rescue missions to Fred Duncan, the historian of the aircraft repair units, and me. We interviewed Carle and the other Ivory Soap pilots in 2000 and 2001 as part of an oral history project for the National Air and Space Museum. Carle died in 2000.) As Carle landed at a forward position on Luzon, soldiers greeted him with incredulous looks and comments on his “monstrosity from the sky.” They, like the vast majority of Americans at the time, had never seen a helicopter. The soldiers had no information on the wounded whom Carle had come to collect, but they did know of a platoon leader with a bulletshattered hip; he was part of a patrol that had been cut off near a narrow river bank. Arriving at the location, Carle realized just how unprepared he was for the mission. When deployed to the theater, he had a mere 25 hours of helicopter time, and no training in medical evacuation, combat flying, or landing in a jungle. While R-4s had had external stretcher mounts installed in trials, the R-4s assigned to the aircraft repair ships had no such equipment, and Carle had not given a thought as to how a two-seat trainer might evacuate somebody. “As I stepped from the ship, a grimy, bearded sergeant grabbed my hand and began pumping it, welcoming me as though I was his long-lost brother,” said Carle. “At the same time, he explained what had happened to his

patrol leader, and asked for instructions for loading the stretcher. Somewhere he had read that a stretcher can be loaded onto a helicopter. His spirits seemed to drop to the earth when he heard that I had never seen a stretcher used on a helicopter and knew of no way to load a stretcher patient onto the R-4. One of his buddies spoke up, asking if a seat could be removed and the man placed on the floor. It could be done, and we did it.” Carle also disconnected the cyclic stick, but the wounded lieutenant’s feet still

(l-r) Robert Cowgill and Louis Carle improvised rescue techniques Photo courtesy of Air &

had to be propped up on the rudder pedals with a seat cushion, an arrangement that, Carle noted, “served as a ‘rudder lock’ and gave me absolutely no control over the tail rotor.” After an ungainly takeoff, Carle slowly climbed away and was able to deliver his patient to the 311th General Field Hospital near Manila. News of the successful evacuation spread quickly, and calls for Carle’s services started to pour in. On June 17, Cowgill returned with the newly assembled R-6A; though this helicopter could perform slightly better than the R-4B, its cabin was even tighter. Carle evacuated the wounded who were unable to stand or sit, while Cowgill evacuated those who could walk. Both men quickly became exhausted. Carle remembered: “More

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and more units requested our services, until we were overloaded with work, as can be indicated by the fact that I flew seven hours and made six evacuations on the same day.” By the standards of Korea and Vietnam, Carle’s workload seems trivial, but the R-4B was a far more demanding machine than its successors. The R-4B’s blades were constructed of wood ribs around a steel spar and covered with doped fabric. They were difficult to keep in track (rotating in the same plane) and vibrated excessively. The pilot’s cyclic stick made continuous small orbits, never staying completely stationary. There was no governor to control rotor speed, and the pilot had to correlate the throttle continuously with collective pitch inputs. In one of the only instances of public coverage given to the Ivory Soap helo pilots, a June 21, 1945 Chicago Tribune article reporting on Carle’s initial efforts noted: “Driving the ‘eggbeater’ is hard work. The control stick shakes like a jackhammer, and the pilot must hold it tightly at all times. Should he relax for even a minute the [helicopter] falls out of control. Pilots of regular planes say itís easy to identify a helicopter pilot -- he has a permanent case of the shakes.”Besides wrestling with the helicopters, the pilots had to load and unload the wounded without assistants, which only added to the jobís stress. Not all of the pilots assigned to the aircraft repair units were suited to the medical evacuation missions. First Lieutenant Harold “Pappy” Greene walked away from helicopters after flying only two evacuations, swearing he would “never fly another helicopter -- ever.” Carle and Cowgill found their evacuations becoming more difficult. The pilots continued to discover unanticipated limitations on these first-generation production rotorcraft. Cowgill recalled that though the R-6 was intended as an improvement on the hastily designed (and perhaps overbuilt) R-4, it seemed to have numerous defects and was an even trickier machine to fly. “They had the fuel tank in front of the center of lift & hellipso when you ran [low] on fuel, the nose began to rise and you would run out of forward stick if you [were] alone,” said Cowgill. “I had to stop once and put a stone up in the front to trim it up enough. It was just a completely stupid goof.” Carle’s final Continue on page 32

Historical: MEDEVAC in Luzon Continued from page 31

disastrous evacuation demonstrated just how far beyond the design limits of the R-4B the pilots were going. With the heat, humidity, and altitude characteristic of central Luzon, the payload of the R-4 was essentially zero. To get off the ground, Carle had to employ a dangerous technique: the jump takeoff. In an article he wrote for the January 1947 issue of American Helicopter magazine, he recalled that he deliberately oversped his engine and rotor rpm past redline to “2,600 [engine] rpm and [pulled] 7.5 degrees pitch to start the takeoff,” causing the helicopter to leap into the air. The technique had numerous hazards, including the helicopter settling back onto the ground. Another danger was that either stress or the increasing air pressure at the blade tips would cause the blades to fail structurally. Over-revving did the engine no favors either, but Carle later instructed future helicopter pilots that ìsuch a high rpm may shorten the life of the engine, but it will lengthen the life of the pilot.” The high-torque maneuver also overwhelmed the R-4B’s tail rotor, and the “torque caused the tail to swing almost 90 degrees to the left.” The helicopter was then in an awkward position to depart the tight clearing, but Carle made the best of it. As his helicopter moved sideways, the rotor began to enter what is now known as “effective translational lift,” in which a forward influx of airflow increases rotor efficiency, providing just enough improvement in performance to keep the helicopter from settling onto the ground. Carle then noted that “as the ship picked up speed, the action of the wind swung the tail partially behind me...[but], as I started it soon became apparent that the 210 pounds of my passenger, plus the altitude of 1,500 feet were going to make it impossible to clear the high trees. The rpm was dropping rapidly, and the airspeed was near zero. I was at the limit of my climb and still the tops of the trees were above me. I couldn’t turn back without dropping straight in, probably killing the passenger and myself, so I jerked the pitch control as high as it would go and luckily we cleared the trees by inches, but the effort had cost [rotor rpm] and all of my airspeed. “As soon as I realized that we were clear of the trees, I dropped the pitch to 4 degrees and held full throttle, at the same time pushing forward on the stick. As the rpm came back within the green, I increased the

rom June 15 to July 29, 1945, Carle and five other pilots evacuated 75 to 80 wounded soldiers, one or two at a time, from the highlands northeast of Manila. Although they were not the first helicopter pilots to fly in combat—that distinction belongs to Lieutenant Carter Harman of the First Air Commando Group, who flew the first medical evacuations, in Burma on April 23, 1944—they were the first to be targeted by enemy fire pitch and fortunately missed dropping into the jungle. Again, the rpm dropped, and again I lowered the pitch enough to bring it back. The airspeed was building slowly and we began to climb to safety. What had actually been a few seconds seemed an eternity. My clothes were drenched with sweat, and I was so weak that I could hardly move the controls.” Carle’s experiences presaged those of countless combat helicopter pilots in the Korean and Vietnam wars, who were forced to master flying overloaded aircraft into tight landing zones; his recollections vividly illustrate just how risky these early operations were. On June 21, Carle and Cowgill both ran out of luck. Carle’s rotor tip hit a tree, and almost simultaneously, Cowgill, flying an equally treacherous approach in the R-6A, clipped a tree with the tail rotor. Fortunately, the troops at his landing zone were well positioned, and were able to post a guard to watch the aircraft (recovered a week later). Cowgill marched out of the jungle with an escort on a harrowing four-day journey in which he too encountered determined Japanese opposition. The two crashes ended the Fifth

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Aircraft Repair Unit’s participation in the operation, as their ship was preparing to support the newly captured airfields on Okinawa. After Carle deployed with his vessel to Okinawa, the war ended. He went back to Luzon to fly R-6As with the Second Emergency Rescue Squadron, which was adding helicopters to an extensive stable of fixed-wing rescue aircraft. After returning to the United States, he suffered persistent pain from the rotor fragment in his skull and never flew helicopters again. Carle was officially credited with a dozen evacuations (though he may have flown more), and Cowgill with 14. On June 25, the Sixth Aircraft Repair Unit arrived in Manila Bay, and began rescue operations with their own R-4B and R-6A. In the span of only four days, pilots First Lieutenant James Brown, Second Lieutenant John Noll, and Flight Officer Edward Ciccolella rescued around 40 wounded. In the process, they introduced a significant innovation to the battlefield. Though Sikorsky engineers had designed slots running through the R-6’s frame to mount two encased litter pods, none of the R-6s deployed with the equipment. The helicopter mechanics assigned to the Sixth Aircraft Repair Unit improvised external litters using Stokes baskets (steel-tube and wire-mesh baskets used to transport the injured) welded to steel frames. In this way, prone casualties could be carried without risk to the helicopter. A small number of additional evacuations took place in July. Of the helicopter evacuations of wounded soldiers and airmen in the Pacific and Far East during the war, more than 60 percent were rescued during the operation on Luzon. Helicopter rescue was in no way decisive to World War II at 125 to 150 wounded were evacuated, compared with approximately 40,000 in Korea and well over a million in Vietnamóbut it was a huge step in convincing the military that rotary wing flight was a useful battlefield technology.

Historical

Helicopter Aviation Pioneer Stewart R. Graham Article By Tom Beard

oday, helicopters in some manner touch nearly all our lives. Photographs of remarkable helicopter rescues from rooftops in hurricane swept New Orleans; video glimpses s h o w i n g w o u n d e d soldiers in battlefield evacuations; television news clips viewing CDR Steward R. Graham h e l i c o p t e r s swooping over forest fires, all reinforce the images in viewers’ minds that helicopters are essential elements and commonly accepted devices in human survival. Whether it is a mountaintop rescue, highway-casualty recovery, or tsunami victim searches, helicopters are seen as a first response. Recently, Sergei Sikorsky, son of helicopter pioneer Igor Sikorsky, noted that helicopters were involved in saving over a million lives worldwide. This wasn’t so in memories of many still living. Helicopter pioneer Commander Steward R. Graham, United States Coast Guard (Ret.), nearly single-handedly made the modern helicopter possible. His story starts six decades ago, at a time when United States aerial ambitions were forging tools to force past the sound barrier and step into space, and the helicopter was a useless novelty. Today, Stew at 92 is still active and is nearly the sole connection to a turbulent beginning for what is now a common sight in today’s skies. I had the honor a couple years ago to fly as Graham’s wingman in a second helicopter as he flew “lead” with the same skilled hands he once exhibited a half century past. Then his critical skills convinced naysayers to accept this strange, unacceptable, and demeaned helicopter, which would later make such a difference to millions of lives. On this day, we just enjoyed the free soaring made possible by technology

his earlier work encouraged. Strangely, today, this once debased machine is acknowledged as an absolute necessity for its many roles. This is a story about a little craft, which began with no proven value, official skepticism, and with any development prospects denied by sanctions, and Stew Graham, a pilot driven to succeed. Graham, flying the helicopter first in the fall of 1943, recounted how then he knew everything there was to learn about helicopter. After three and a half hours flight instruction from Navy/ Coast Guard pilot number one, Captain Frank Erickson, U.S. Coast Guard, in the world’s first and only operational helicopter, Graham remembered Erickson saying as he left the fledgling pilot alone the first time in the machine, “Stew, you’re safe to solo.” Graham remarked with a note of humor that Erickson “waited a safe distance away behind a tree, near the Sikorsky Factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut. At which time I pulled into a shaky hover, and then watched Frank give me a thumbs-up. I smiled nervously and pushed forward making a few circles around the meadow then landed safely, earning me the designation of Coast Guard Helicopter Pilot Number Two.” Graham next remarked, “It was

an extraordinary way to graduate: no written tests, no diploma, no certificate, and no curriculum to follow thereafter. I was set free to penetrate the unknown with an unleashed, unreliable, under-powered, vibrating, revolutionary type of flying machine.” Graham was now on his own at the start of a selfless career to discover the helicopter and bring its miracles to the world of aviation. The helicopter, according to Graham, was “by far more thrilling than flying fixed wing aircraft, which offered no new challenges. The machine actually belonged to me because I was given free rein to come and go with it, as I so desired. None of the other fixed wing pilots wanted to get near to the so-called ‘Infuriating Palm Tree.’ In fact, Erickson and I were ridiculed without mercy from these people; they held little hope for our well-being. Their attitude suited me just fine because it was in this way I was able to accomplish many firsts flying the helicopter.” These “firsts” in Graham’s name would account for many “first” in the world’s rotor-wing chronicles. Graham’s nearly singular efforts, working with Erickson as a test pilot—proving Erickson’s thesis—during the helicopter’s formative years, made the rotorcraft the tool it is today. It was a lonely battle and a career Continue on page 34

elicopter pioneer Commander Steward R. Graham, United States Coast Guard (Ret.), nearly single-handedly made the modern helicopter possible. His story starts six decades ago, at a time when United States aerial ambitions were forging tools to force past the sound boundary and step into space, and the helicopter was a useless novelty. Today, Stew at 92 is still active and is nearly the sole connection to a turbulent beginning for what is now a common sight in today’s skies.

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Historical: Helicoter Aviation Pioneer Stewart R. Graham

ew aviation pioneers have contributed so much to aviation worldwide through their prescience and hands-on testing as Commander Stewart Ross Graham. And fewer still can have that satisfaction of recognizing some responsibility for the many lives of potential victims saved by helicopters, a novel aerial vehicle he helped develop for lifesaving from an unwanted, awkward stepchild of ﬂying machines. Continued from page 33

damaging effort, for a then junior military officer to face. These challenges do not even consider the life-threatening aspects of over a decade conducting experiments, bumping against unexamined flight-boundaries, of a frail craft’s yet thoroughly discovered flight characteristics and unknown mechanical inadequacies. Ironically, Graham was to survive his only helicopter crash in an aircraft where he was a backseat passenger. A control bearing failure caused the crash. Following his recuperation, he rejoined his experiments. Graham began a program to justify helicopters for Navy wartime-operations while he and Erickson’s crew continued their thinly veiled, surreptitious, but constantly derided experiments to create the helicopter as a rescue vehicle. In January 1944, Graham, with 65 hours helicopter time, flew the first shipboard helicopter anti-submarine mission in a British helicopter from the deck of a British merchant vessel on a North Atlantic convoy crossing. World War II was not over when Graham, in an effort to sell the merits of the helicopter, demonstrated one at the steps of the U.S. Capital building for members of congress. Some congressional representatives not only saw a helicopter for the first time, but also were flown on their first ride by Graham in the Coast Guard HNS-1—for the event dubbed “The Congressional Page.” Following the World War II, the Coast Guard returned most of their helicopters to the Navy or to storage, leaving only a couple for experimenting. In 1946, Erickson with Graham as his only test pilot, along with a small group of enlisted mechanics, established

the Rotary Wing Development Unit, at Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Here they fabricated and tested equipment and experimented with various helicopter configurations, most of which still today are parts of the modern helicopter. Graham’s testing ideas from this team led directly to the creation of such common items, among many, as the hoist, rescue basket, sliding door, emergency floatation, flight controls stabilization, automatic pilot, sensitive hovering indicator, instrumentation for all-weather flying, and ship accommodations for helicopters. Soon this small test unit—the only unit in the Coast Guard with operating helicopters—inherited rescues and other uncommon aerial tasks only a helicopter could provide. The helicopter’s novelty started making the news, bringing more demands for its unusual services. The first major civil rescue, reported worldwide, utilizing a helicopter occurred near Gander, Newfoundland in September 1946. A Belgium, Sabena airliner crashed into a nearby hilltop. Survivors were unreachable in the tundra by any known method at that time. Overland travel on foot was impossible in the critical hours remaining to the survivors. Remoteness and terrain impenetrability meant rescue could only be by helicopters—still largely unknown universally. The plight of survivors was brought to Erickson’s attention. He had his crew immediately disassemble the only two Coast Guard test helicopters and squeezed them in Air Force cargo planes to fly to Gander. The same crews flew to Gander and

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

reassembled the helicopters. Graham flying one craft, participating with the hurriedly assembled team, saved the eighteen crash survivors. For his part, Graham received a commission as “A Knight of the Order of Leopold” from Belgium. In 1946, Graham established the first federal helicopter-airmail service to the North Carolina Outer Banks—ironically in a location near the birth of aviation 43 years earlier. It was also on the Outer Banks in 1947, under hazardous weather conditions, that Graham completed the first night medical evacuation in a helicopter not equipped or instrumented for night flight. He utilized the phosphorescent glow from breaking surf for spatial orientation. The first transcontinental flight by helicopter took Graham ten days and 57 hours flight time completing the 3,900-mile coastto-coast trip in 1949. Graham was the first pilot to get over a thousand helicopter flight hours. His mascot and companion, Brownie, a cocker spaniel, accompanying Graham on many test flights, accumulated more flight time than most helicopter pilots up to that time in the short rotorcraft history. Graham started anti-submarine warfare (ASW) flight-testing in 1946 with an altered dipping sonar ball designed for blimps. Helicopter ASW today is a direct result of Graham’s early experiments. He developed procedures and later introduced these techniques to Navy pilots. The Navy retained Graham in the Navy’s service following his task creating the helicopter ASW squadrons in 1952. He transferred to the Navy’s aircraft test center, Patuxent River, Maryland, as Head of the Rotary Wing Section with the Tactical Test

Continue on page 35

Historical: Helicoter Aviation Pioneer Stewart R. Graham Continued from page 34

Division. Graham was the Navy’s first helicopter test pilot. One example of many projects tackled by Graham as a Navy test pilot was how to use the helicopter to land Marine assault troops. He noted with humor, yet indicating the thoroughness of his attention to detail in testing, “I had (volunteer sailors) dressed in full combat rig, landed in an open field, then had them rush into battle. The first man fell jumping down and the rest ended in a squirming pile on top. I recommended that assault helicopters be redesigned with a combination ramp/ door configuration.” The Navy released Graham to the Coast Guard in 1953. The Coast Guard assigned him back where he started in aviation—flying seaplanes and amphibians. He had defied the hierarchy earlier by joining with Erickson in the unwanted helicopter development. Erickson, too, met with shunning orders midpoint in his career forcing him to retire from the service. This was

Graham’s punishment. Occasionally, he would fly a helicopter, one of the very few then owned by the Coast Guard but rarely used for rescue work, and when he did, Graham established more firsts and made more news. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for making the first night hoist pickup in severe weather offshore, in January 1955, saving three survivors from a vessel breaking up on a reef. Among Graham’s military awards with the Distinguished Flying Cross are two Air Medals. Further, the Naval Helicopter Historical Society recognized his achievements with the “Mark Starr Pioneer Award.” The Twirly Birds, an International Organization of Pioneer Helicopter Pilots, presented Graham the “Charles Lester Morris Award,” in recognition of his outstanding contribution to vertical flight as a pioneer helicopter pilot. United Technologies-Sikorsky Aircraft Co. acknowledged Graham as among “that small group of dedicated helicopter

pioneers who flew and maintained the R-4, HNS-1 and the Hoverfly-1 around the world during World War -Two.” The Coast Guard Aviation Association inducted Commander Graham into its Hall of Honor and the National Museum of Naval Aviation placed Graham in its Hall of Fame where his plaque stands alongside nation’s war heroes and astronauts who walked the moon. But there is one bigger intrinsic reward — largely unstated and mostly unacknowledged. Few aviation pioneers have contributed so much to aviation worldwide through their prescience and hands-on testing as Commander Stewart Ross Graham. And fewer still can have that satisfaction of recognizing some responsibility for the many lives of potential victims saved by helicopters, a novel aerial vehicle he helped develop for lifesaving from an unwanted, awkward stepchild of flying machines.

Nursing Home Opens in Honor of CDR Clyde E. Lassen Article and Photo by CDR Lloyd Parthemer, USN(Ret)

he legacy of CDR Clyde E. Lassen, U. S. Navy, lives on. CDR Lassen was the pilot of a U.S. Navy helicopter who was awarded the Medal of Honor for making a dangerous night rescue of the crew of a downed F-4 Phantom in North Vietnam. CDR Lassen, a LTJG at the time, was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Seven. (HC-7). His copilot, Leroy Cook, was awarded the Navy Cross and crewmen AE-2 Bruce Dallas and ADJ-3 Don West were each awarded Silver Star Medals for their part in rescuing the F-4 Phantom crew, LCDR John Holtzclaw (pilot) and LCDR Zeke Burns (RIO) of VF-33, who had been shot down by a North Vietnamese missile. The USS Lassen DDG-82 has also been named in CDR Lassen’s

honor and U.S. Navy training buildings at South Whiting Field, FL and NATTC Millington, TN were dedicated in his memory. Most recently named in his honor is the Clyde E. Lassen State Veteran’s Nursing Home in St Augustine, Florida, was opened 25 September 2010. It is a state-of-the-art nursing home with a 120-bed capacity. 60 beds are designated for Alzheimer patients. In case of a disaster, it will have a 72 hour self sufficiency capability, including power, food and supplies. In the event power cannot be restored within the 72 hours, there are docking stations for two emergency, truck-mounted, generators to connect directly into the facility’ electrical distribution system until commercial power can be restored.

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

The sign for the nursing home. Contact: R. Steven Murray Lt Col, USAF (Ret) Cell (850) 491-1092 Communications Director Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Office (850) 487-1533

Visit www.FloridaVets.org Visitwww.FloridaVetsFirst.com Visitwww.FloridaVeteransFoundation.org

More historical articles on page 49

Focus

Focusing on Safety

Rotor Review # 110 Summer â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10

Article by AWS1(nac/aw) Jason Rich, USN

homas Jefferson once said, “I am a great believer in luck, I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” The same can be said for safety. The harder we work at reflection, procedural improvement and training, the more safely we operate. Safety does not just happen—we have to reflect on hazards encountered and decisions made in the past with a thorough analysis of the lessons learned, and strive toward improving and refining tactics, techniques, and procedures to minimize the risk and hazard associated with Naval Rotary Wing Aviation.

Continue on page 38

AM3 Daniel Wilson, of HS-14, performs corrosion treatment on the Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10 37rotor of an SH-60F Sea Hawk helicopter. Photo was taken by MC3 Jacob D. Moore, USN.

Focus: A Hard Look Back at Safety

AM2 Serge L. Leroy (l), and AM2 Thomas S. Upp (r) of HS-11 prepare to install a new motor on an SH-60F Sea Hawk helicopter in the hangar bay aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Photo taken by MCSN Jared M. King, USN Continued from page 37

Naval Aviation will never be 100 percent safe. I had an old Skipper that used to say: “If we wanted to be 100 percent safe, we would hangar the birds and close the doors, and we all know that will not get the job done.” The goal is to minimize risk by understanding risk through a thorough analysis of past experiences. Officially, OPNAVINST 3750.6R states: “The Naval Aviation Safety Program enhances operational readiness when it preserves the lives and enhances the well-being of its members by protecting the equipment and material they need to accomplish their mission.” So how do we get to a well-oiled safety machine that maintains assets (both human and mechanical), as required by the CNO? First and foremost, we must learn from the mistakes of others. Reflection is one of the greatest tools we have as professional aviators and maintainers. The Navy disseminates Hazard Reports as one method used to reflect on our past and learn from potential and near mishaps. We also use personal experience and safety awareness training in conjunction with command safety expectations to spread information to command personnel. Whether

during a safety stand-down, as part of command indoctrination, or during work center training, personal safety anecdotes and safety awareness training are the reflection of past situations, and are used as learning opportunities to improve upon, and raise awareness of the potential hazards of day-to-day missions. How do we use reflection as a method to enhance the well-being of our aviators, maintainers, equipment, and materials, through safety process and procedural improvements? Throughout Naval Rotary Wing Aviation, sailors have become familiar with Operational Risk Management (ORM)—a program we use to rationalize risk, and manage the severity and probability matrix coupled with “right level decision making.” Aviators and maintainers apply the five step ORM process to help them develop a cost/benefit analysis to make the best possible risk decision, or seek approval from higher authority, in times of necessity. Through personal experience, ORM becomes a historical

h e t h e r during a safety stand-down, as part of command indoctrination, or during work center training, personal safety anecdotes and safety awareness training are the reflection of past situations, and are used as learning opportunities to improve upon, and raise awareness of the potential hazards of day-to-day missions. Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

hroughout Naval Rotary Wing Aviation, sailors have become familiar with Operational Risk Management (ORM)—a program we use to rationalize risk, and manage the severity and probability matrix coupled with “right level decision making.” Aviators and maintainers apply the five step ORM process to help them develop a cost/ benefit analysis to make the best possible risk decision, or seek approval from higher authority, in times of necessity. analysis of the highest possible risk factors encountered during a given mission. It takes into account personal factors, mission factors and under or over workload. By reflecting on our past, we can assign a risk assessment code (RAC) for best possible situation, based on the missions factors. The compilation of reflection, process and procedural improvement provides aviators and maintainers with valuable safety resources to sustain our assets for future mission completion. The harder we work at reflection, process and procedural improvement, the more safely completed missions we will have! AWS1 Rich is HSC-9 Command Safety / NATOPS Leading Petty Officer

SAR swimmers of HS-11 perform direct deployment qualifications operating from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Photo taken by MC2 Tiger Martinez, USN

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Focus

NAVAL AVIATION SAFETY

the best defense is a good offense

Article by CAPT J.R. Nettleton, USN

ur focus must be on developing a culture where every Sailor believes and behaves consistently with the concept that all mishaps and operating disruptions are preventable. Leaders play an important role in maintaining operational discipline by directing, monitoring and shaping their own behaviors and the behaviors of the workforce they direct. The desired end state is a culture of aviation professionals who recognize hazards, whether operational, behavioral, or material, and then use available resources to reduce vulnerability to those identified hazards.

Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class Tyler Clausen signals an MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Photo taken by MC3 Josue L. Escobosa, USN.

he Navy and Naval Aviation in particular, spend a lot of time and money trying to develop and maintain a culture of operational excellence. A quick look at our heritage as we approach the centennial of Naval Aviation will verify our legacy of success – the United States Navy has always embraced operational excellence. Safety plays a huge role in the operational excellence piece: every mishap, incident and accident has the potential for tragic consequences, but even if the aircrews survive, the after effects of the investigating, reporting, and repairing always create operational disruptions for the affected

units and their chain of command. Our focus must be on developing a culture where every Sailor believes and behaves consistently with the concept that all mishaps and operating disruptions are preventable. Leaders play an important role in maintaining operational discipline by directing, monitoring and shaping their own behaviors and the behaviors of the workforce they direct. The desired end state is a culture of aviation professionals who recognize hazards, whether operational, behavioral, or material, and then use available resources to reduce vulnerability to those identified hazards. The goal of this article is to highlight some of the concepts and technologies that are currently being used or developed to help leadership at all levels identify and prioritize these hazards.

Where we have been – Trailing Indicators

Much of our focus on safety has been on lessons learned after an incident. After an aviation mishap, for example, we establish a board of officers and provide technical SMEs as needed, then do a thorough post-mortem on the entire evolution. By rigorously examining all aspects of the event, we can identify administrative, training,

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

material, procedural, and performance issues. We then attempt to validate via the endorsement chain and then provide recommendations to affected units and outside organizations (i.e. NAVAIR). These deep dives result in identifying the cause of the mishap, and recommendations designed to prevent this particular mishap from happening again. Privately Owned Motor Vehicle (PMV) mishap investigations, Sitreps, etc.are all examples of trailing indicators – something happened, here is what we are doing about it, and here is how we will prevent it from happening again. Trailing Indicators are an excellent way to dissect an evolution that went awry, and provide feedback. Unfortunately, trailing indicators can also be extremely frustrating to the units involved. (This is especially true in cases where valid recommendations are not implemented.) Legacy aircraft, low cost and low probability of occurrence issues can each have valid prevention techniques, but will often face implementation challenges. When many hours are spent analyzing a mishap, and providing valid feedback, it is easy to see why frustration builds when good recommendations are not implemented. On the unit level a good amount of manpower is used in Safety and JAGMAN investigations, and the feedback from the higher echelons is often perceived as negative. Although we must maintain a robust ability to investigate, the Navy has recognized that trailing indicators alone will Continue on page 41

Focus: Naval Aviation Safety Continued from page 40

not provide all of the information required to safely enhance operational excellence. Let’s look at an analogous situation. An experienced hiker is taking a well known path, although removed from much of civilization; it is popular and frequently used. While walking next to a thicket of small bushes and trees he is bitten on the ankle by a snake. At this point the hiker is in a bad situation (mishap), and has an immediate need to find out what type of snake it was, and where the anti-venom is available. Later, he will try and describe to authorities where the snake was located and how he might have avoided it stepping near it.

Where we are going – Leading indicators

What if our hypothetical hiker had run into another hiker who had been on the same path the day before and described seeing snakes near the trail? Our hero could have purchased snake proof boots, carried a shotgun, or he could have used a trail map and avoided the thicket altogether. Now, what if he had access to technology that could locate and identify the snake before he got within ten yards? [Although it would cost him time to talk to other hikers, and extra money to buy the boots, shells, map and/or the technology, it would not have been nearly as time consuming or as expensive as

uch of our focus on safety has been on lessons learned after an incident. After an aviation mishap, for example, we establish a board of officers and provide technical SMEs as needed, then do a thorough post-mortem on the entire evolution. By rigorously examining all aspects of the event, we can identify administrative, training, material, procedural, and performance issues. We then attempt to validate via the endorsement chain and then provide recommendations to affected units and outside organizations (i.e. NAVAIR). These deep dives result in identifying the cause of the mishap, and recommendations designed to prevent this particular mishap from happening again. the trip to the hospital to get the antivenom.] Leading indicators are similar to the prevention tools our hiker could have used, they cost us slightly more time and money, but used correctly they will prevent mishaps. For every aviation mishap, there are approximately 600 incidents, situations where there was almost a mishap. One slice of the Swiss cheese didn’t line up (can’t have a safety discussion without Swiss cheese). The common factor in each of these 600 incidents is that something went wrong, whether it was pilot error, material failure, or an external failure (WX, doctor in a light civil, etc…), and then disaster was c l e a r l y averted by an above average N a v a l Aviator. The troubling part is that more than likely the information about this near disaster was not

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captured; or it was discussed in a good “there I was” session in the ready room and then never brought up again. Hazard Reports (HAZREPS), were developed to cover this gap in coverage, but HAZREPS only address recognized hazards, and the process is cumbersome enough to ensure that many valuable nuggets of information are never brought to the surface. Several years ago, Naval Aviation leadership recognized the need to try and capture this missing information, and borrowing a page from commercial aviation, the concept of leading indicators was born. The idea behind leading indicators is that we aggressively pursue all available information related to our flight operations then quantify that information and provide it in different forms to all levels of leadership. By taking various sources of data and analyzing it we can provide the squadron CO with near real time feedback on how his unit operates. He can tell which aircraft have components in the early stages of failure and need to be replaced, which aircrew need help with specific missions or maneuvers, and occasionally which aircrew need their NATOPS limits recalibrated. This same data can be useful to the Wing and Type Commanders by taking the data from the squadrons, stripping it of any identify information and aggregating it to identify trends. MFOQA and ASAP are the Continue on page 42

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two primary sources of the data required for the leading indicator initiative.

Military Flight Operations Quality Assurance (MFOQA)

Military Flight Operations Quality Assurance (MFOQA) is the technology piece identified earlier in the hiking analogy. MFOQA is a knowledge management process that contributes to increased aviation operational readiness and safety through the collection, download, analysis and visualization of quantitative flight performance and aircraft systems data. The goal of MFOQA is to provide actionable information that can be used to reduce risks and improve training, maintenance and operational efficiencies. MFOQA can provide aircrew and maintenance personnel, squadron leadership, and upper echelon commands with a valuable decision support capability through effective integration of flight data collection and analysis technologies, organizational procedures, and proactive personnel involvement. The MFOQA concept was derived from a program implemented by commercial airlines, known as Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA), in which aggregate flight data are collected and analyzed to identify trends in flight operations for use in improving safety and operational efficiency. Currently MFOQA is being developed by NAVAIR in a phased development process. This program of record will began fielding to all F-18 Hornet activities in FY-12 in the first phase of operations. The second phase will incorporate the H-60 Sierra and Romeo, as well as the H-53. The requirement for a digital data source (maintenance or mission card) and associated implementation costs will likely keep the legacy Bravo/Foxtrot/Hotel communities from receiving this system. Currently Commander Naval Air Forces (CNAF) is sponsoring a technology bridge application of MFOQA, and as of this writing all of the Hornet FRSs have MFOQA capabilities via CNAF or NAVAIR (PMA 209).

Aviation Safety Awareness Program (ASAP) In our earlier hypothetical situation, ASAP is the other hiker who warned us of the potential for snakes on the path. This program

aval Aviation operates in the most unforgiving environment on the planet. The fact that it is dangerous doesn’t give us a free pass to accept unnecessary risk. Aggressively pursuing the identification and mitigation of hazards is not only good offense, it is the best defense.

provides for the collection, analysis, and retention of the safety data that is obtained through self reporting by aircrews, maintainers, etc. ASAP safety data, much of which would be otherwise unobtainable, is used to develop corrective actions for identified safety concerns, and to educate the appropriate parties to prevent a reoccurrence of the same type of safety event. An ASAP is based on a safety partnership that will include all levels of command. To encourage the reporting of safety issues, even though they may involve possible noncompliance with directives, enforcement-related incentives have been designed into the program. Each report is anonymous, and the details of the report are only read by the CO or his designated representative. Information obtained from this program will permit ASAP participants to identify actual or potential risks throughout their operations. Once identified, the parties to an ASAP can implement corrective actions in order to reduce the potential for reoccurrence of accidents, incidents, and other safety-related events. When the data is uploaded to the Wing level, specific trends based on Aircraft Type/ Model/Series can be used to generate warnings on potential hazards. At the TYCOM level the aggregate data can identify possible hazards associated with locations (specific warning areas or ranges), procedures (4790, 3710), and services (ATC, Metro) that affect the entire Naval Air Force.

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In order to gain the greatest possible positive benefit from ASAP, it is necessary to develop programs with compatible data collection, analysis, storage, and retrieval systems. The information and data, which are collected and analyzed, can be used as a measure of aviation system safety.

Safety Culture

The reality of the promise of these new tools and techniques is that they won’t work without buy-in from the fleet. ASAP does take time to complete after a flight, and it is yet another requirement added to a long list of reporting requirements. MFOQA requires the uploading of digital aircraft data, and there is training required to optimize the system capabilities. However, if we are to develop a culture of aviation professionals who recognize all hazards, whether operational, behavioral, or material; we must provide the best tools available. Leaders must take an active role in directing, monitoring and shaping this culture – we need to understand that gaining insight into how our organizations really operate is the only way to identify all of the hazards. Once we know what the hazards are we can prioritize, mitigate and make informed risk decisions. Naval Aviation operates in the most unforgiving environment on the planet. The fact that it is dangerous doesn’t give us a free pass to accept unnecessary risk. Aggressively pursuing the identification and mitigation of hazards is not only good offense, it is the best defense. CAPT J.R. Nettleton is the Safety Officer of Naval Air Forces (CNAF) and former commanding officer of HS-11 and HS-10.

Focus

he following article is a reflection of the Safety Brief that was given by Navy Safety Center’s Director, Aviation Safety Programs CAPT Michael E. Zamesnik during the 2010 NHA Symposium in Jacksonville, FL on May 25, 2010. He touched upon some key areas that affect the average helo pilot or aircrewman out while in flight. Read more on the...

2010 Symposium Safety Brief

Artcle by Jack Stewart, Approach Magizine

ishaps cost time and resources, diminishing our readiness. Most importantly, mishaps harm our Sailors and Marines. The Naval Safety Center’s top aviation advocate, CAPT Mike Zamesnik, helped kick off this year’s NHA Symposium with the clear message that safety is a team effort and is everybody’s responsibility.

The Commander Naval Safety Center has targeted the following five areas in our efforts to prevent mishaps: • Fatigue •

Time Critical Risk Management

•

Damage Control (DC)

•

Navy Personal Firearms Safety

•

Fleet HAZMAT Readiness and Knowledge Investigators and analysts work hard to find mishap causal factors each time we lose aircrew or an aircraft. The majority of incidents yield causal factors that point to human actions or inactions. We—not the enemy—are the primary causal factor in most mishaps. Approach magazine featured this situation as the Blue Threat in the September-October 2006 issue. What could we have done differently or better to prevent the loss? Offering several graphic discussions of recent mishaps, CAPT Zamesnik shared critical insight on the circumstances surrounding each mishap with the NHA Symposium audience. Each mishap is distinct, but as our investigators uncover the causal factors, trends can be developed and preventive measures taken. He also emphasized that of the aviation-related causal factors; much is to be gained by understanding the impact of fatigue (one of the five areas identified above), on our ability to carry out the mission. The following additional information on fatigue, the No. 1 aeromedical factor involved in

Captain Zamesnik addressing the audience at the 2010 NHA Symposium Safety Brief. Photo taken by LT Justin Cooper, USN

Class A flight mishaps, is provided to help our aviators be combat ready when called upon. Some of this information on fatigue was briefed at NHA. We want the Rotor Review readers to get a broader understanding of this topic. Understanding the impact of fatigue on aviators is an important part of the work of CAPT Nick Davenport, head of the Aeromedical Department at the Naval Safety Center. Here is his overview of this topic:

Fatigue

Yeah, we’re at war and OPTEMPO is up; we’re mission-oriented folks accustomed to continually doing more with less. We just gut it out and get the job done, right? You’re probably thinking, “We’re tired, and there ain’t much we can do about it.” What control do we have over fatigue? Let’s look at some key points.

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First, how sleep deprived are you? Most adults need about eight hours of sleep per night to perform at their peak. If you’re getting that much every 24 hours, you’re probably doing fine. Or you might be one of those individuals who only need six and a half or seven hours of sleep to function normally (but don’t bet on it, those folks are few in number). If you wake up before the alarm goes off each morning, leaping out of bed feeling well rested and energetic, good for you. If you’re the only one still awake during a boring afternoon lecture, watching those around you nod off, you’re in good shape. If it takes you about 15 to 20 minutes each night to fall asleep after your head hits the pillow, you’re normal. Then, of course, there are the rest of us. Late nights, deadlines, night-shift work, early briefs, time-zone travel, deployments, combat stress, and anxiety all compete for Continue on page 44

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limited sleep time. Dr. William Dement, one of the world’s premier sleep researchers, estimates most Americans in our 24-hour society have a 25-to-50-hour sleep deficit. For many in the military, we’re probably worse. As the sleep debt gets bigger, the pressure to sleep becomes overwhelming. We’re so sleep deprived; our brains are inserting lapses and “microsleeps” wherever they see a chance to catch up. We’re not just nodding off at briefings, traffic lights, and generalquarters drills; we’re snoring and drooling, as well. No wonder we nap in passageways and sleep like we’re in a coma, even next to the arresting gear and the catapults below the flight deck. Getting rid of that sleep debt takes days to weeks, because you have to add that recovery sleep to your normal eight hours per day. You can’t sleep 58 hours in a day; it takes time to catch up. You’ll notice improvement after a long leave or vacation where you’ve been getting full-recovery sleep. After two or three weeks, you’ll start feeling more alert, energetic and creative.

situations. That huge jolt of adrenalin acts just like amphetamines to flog the brain into max performance, but only for a short while, maybe five to 10 minutes. Then fatigue comes right back, and we’re just as degraded as before. This scenario is typical of the late-night driver, who is jolted awake by the sound of rumble strips on the tires. While he makes it another five miles down the highway, he then falls asleep and crashes. Often times, we get that first shot of adrenalin after the mishap has occurred.

The effects of practice. High-level decision-making, cognitive function, mood, multi-tasking, situational awareness, and vigilance are all very sensitive to fatigue and sleep deprivation. Operational risk management and crew-resource management happen to lie in these categories. Conversely, a pilot or aircrewman, who has well-rehearsed motor skills and simple, familiar procedures,

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r. William Dement, one of the world’s premier sleep researchers, estimates most Americans in our 24hour society have a 25-to-50-hour sleep deficit. For many in the military, we’re probably worse. As the sleep debt gets bigger, the pressure to sleep becomes overwhelming. We’re so sleep deprived; our brains are inserting lapses and “microsleeps” wherever they see a chance to catch up. We’re not just nodding off at briefings, traffic lights, and general-quarters drills; we’re snoring and drooling, as well.

Too little sleep, so what? “All that may be true,” you say, “but I’m still able to do the job; if things get tough, I’ll just gut it out.” Fatigued people are not very aware of how impaired they are, and as the fatigue mounts, that lack of awareness also increases. Just like the drunk at the party, they may think they’re doing well when fatigued but not be in condition to handle anomalies, emergencies or unexpected changes in plans. Functioning at 75 percent of baseline capacity might be good enough if the mission isn’t very challenging, and there are no surprises. But, if a flight suddenly demands high-level decision-making and performance, you may not have the reserves to function successfully. Many mishaps begin with a minor distraction, which starts to consume limited brain resources, while the bigger picture gets lost. What about the adrenalin rushes that comes with surprises and emergencies? Doesn’t that restore alertness and brain function? Yep, that’s the stress reaction or the “fight or flight” response. Nature gave us that capability to help in life-threatening

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will become resistant to fatigue. The more experienced you are and the better your basic skill-sets are, the more likely you’ll function adequately when fatigued. For that reason, practice and more practice makes for better fatigue performance. What about practicing in a fatigued state to be more resistant and familiar with how to control fatigue? Do you cope better if you train fatigued? Of the sleep deprivation experts I’ve asked, none know of any scientific evidence to support this belief. In fact, if you train while you’re well rested and get good sleep, you learn faster and better. Contrary to popular belief, if you train in a fatigued state, you don’t learn as well; you only increase your chances of having a training mishap.

How about drugs? Several drugs are available to manage fatigue on a short-term basis. One of the most available is caffeine, which affects brain circuits, promotes alertness, and acts like a mild stimulant. Science shows that two to three typical, eightounce cups of coffee, each containing 100 to 150 mg of caffeine, will help promote alertness for three to four hours. Energy drinks may double that effect, and your venti-Starbucks coffee may top out at 400 to 500 mg caffeine. Coffee ice cream and chocolate have some caffeine, which might not help much to keep you alert and significantly could interfere later with your getting to sleep. Caffeine is considerably less effective if you regularly use it, so resensitize yourself to caffeine by eliminating it or choosing only decaf for 10 days, then use the caffeine only when you need it. More potent drugs, such as amphetamines, do work but are restricted for use only “in extreme operational necessity or combat.” They require strict prescribing and accounting of medication, and pretesting. Talk to your flight surgeon for more information when these drugs might be considered. As with all stimulants, caffeine included, fatigue still is present, only temporarily masked by the drug, and it requires increasing amounts of the drug to sustain performance. Even caffeine can have side effects, such as irregular heartbeats; stomach upset, and elevated blood pressure. Until the effects of the drug wear off, getting to sleep afterward can be difficult, so planning ahead is crucial. For these reasons,

managing fatigue with drugs requires a well-thought-out plan, preapproval and testing, and flight-surgeon supervision. Drugs are the last choice, after we’ve managed everything else.

Sleep Nothing controls fatigue better than sleep—any sleep. It is the only long-term remedy for fatigue. Nothing restores the brain’s computational ability and performance like sleep. It doesn’t matter where you get your sleep; it’s just a matter of quantity. Fragmented sleep in chunks still recharges the brain, and helps restore cognitive functioning. If you spend a night tossing and turning, and periodically waking up, you still get the benefit of the sleep time you do accomplish—it all adds up. For instance, if you have to work a night shift, taking advantage of the afternoon circadian dip and napping from 1400 to 1700 before you go on duty, then sleeping from 0800 to 1300 the next morning gets you a full eight hours. Getting to sleep can be difficult because of stress, anxiety or trying to sleep when the circadian-alerting cycle is stimulating the brain, particularly during the last three hours of the day before normal bedtime. With circadian dysrhythmias or chronic-sleeping difficulties, consult your flight surgeon for more help.

Napping strategies In times of high operational tempo, you have to be a combat-nap expert. Use naps to get additional sleep if you don’t have time for programmed sleep at night. A nap as short as 15 minutes still will benefit the brain, even if it doesn’t seem so. The old rules about limiting the length of a nap are outdated and don’t account for the benefit of the nap. Take as long a nap as you can. I feel groggy after a nap and can’t sleep later that night. There is a condition called

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CAPT Zamesnik talk about the different causes of fatigue. Photo taken by LT Justin

Cooper, USN “sleep inertia,” which is that 15-to-20-minute period after awakening from a nap that you feel groggy, particularly if you’ve been in one of the deeper stages of sleep. This condition will pass; just don’t do much requiring peak performance during that time span after awakening. Like all skilled activities, napping requires practice. If you routinely have trouble sleeping at night because you get plenty of sleep and don’t have much of a sleep deficit, then naps may interfere with getting to sleep later. Most of us don’t fall in that category. The Naval Safety Center’s emphasis on reducing the impact of fatigue on aircrew and support personnel is a major effort of our aeromedical team. Capt. Zamesnik’s NHA brief and the information provided above should give the helo community added incentive to review current procedures and guidance on aeromedical issues. NSC’s website is a good resource for information on aviation safety, aeromedical factors, operational risk management, and statistics. Visit the website at safetycenter.navy. mil. The Naval Helicopter Association Symposium continued to provide a superb opportunity for the Naval Safety Center to address the helo community. With our booth in the exhibit area, we were able to showcase our many media products and have a good exchange with fleet personnel.

Focus: School of Aviation Safety

“MISSION READINESS THROUGH OPERATIONAL SAFETY” Article by LT Karl Orthne, USN

School Biography

eginning in the early 1950’s, the Navy along with the other military services worked with the University of Southern California (USC) to establish a source of safety education for military officers, especially aviation safety officers (ASO). Until 1965, the single source for such education was located on the USC campus. In 1965, the Navy established its own aviation safety school at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. The Army then established its school at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and the Air Force, while retaining USC as the contractor, moved its school to Norton Air Force Base, California (subsequently to Kirtland AFB, New Mexico).

Initially, the Naval Postgraduate School’s Aviation Safety course was integrated into the undergraduate degree program. The Director of Aviation Safety Programs reported to the Director of Programs at the Postgraduate School and served as a principal adviser to the Commander of the Naval Safety Center on matters of safety education and training. In 1967, Aviation Safety Programs was created as a separately accredited curriculum. At that time, the Aviation Safety Command Course was also moved from USC to the Naval Postgraduate School. This course was specifically designed for commanders and executive officers of aviation squadrons and activities, and for senior staff aviation safety officers. In 1995 Aviation Safety Programs

became the School of Aviation Safety. The Director reports to the Superintendent and the Provost and serves as a principal adviser to the Commander of the Naval Safety Center on matters regarding aviation safety education and training. Today the School of Aviation Safety educates over 750 Navy, Marine and Coast Guard officers each year as well as members of NASA, the FAA and foreign services. The present staff is headed by a Navy Captain and consists of 9 military and 3 civilian professors and 2 administrative support personnel. Tremendous strides have been made in reducing the naval aircraft mishap rates. For example, there were 13,201 Class A (non-combat related) mishaps in 1945, a rate of 83.3 mishaps per 100,000 flight hours, with 6,497 aircraft destroyed and 3,171 pilots and aircrew killed. In 1953 the mishap rate was 51.2 per 100,000 flight hours. In

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the period from 1999 to 2003 naval aviation has averaged 1.89 mishaps per 100,000 flight hours. In May 2003, the Secretary of Defense issued a challenge to reduce the number of mishaps by 50%. The School of Aviation Safety is addressing the challenge by focusing the education of aviation safety officers and an increase in unit safety awareness. There is a constant fleet demand for both ASO and ASC quotas, as well as on-site workshops in aviation safety. The staff responds daily to questions on programs, reporting, aerodynamics, aero-structures, psychology and investigations from fleet aviation commands. In October of 2004, the School of Aviation Safety was relocated to Pensacola, Florida. The school returned to Monterey, California for 3 months following hurricane Ivan. As of April 2005 the school was officially aligned under Naval Aviation Schools Command and is a pro-active, involved resource that has contributed significantly to the mission readiness of Naval Aviation.

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Loss of Tail Rotor Authority Article by LT Karl Orthner, USN Loss of Tail Rotor Authority (LTA) occurs when power required for hover exceeds power available. Power supplied to the main rotor is delivered as a torque at a certain RPM. Power = Torque x RPM When the engines are providing the maximum that they are capable of at 100% RPM it will translate to a certain amount of torque. If the pilot demands more performance by continuing to increase collective the angle of attack on the main rotor blades will increase. Lift will increase, but so will drag. Because power is a constant, the main rotor response to the increased drag will be an increase in torque and a decrease in RPM. Tail rotor thrust required for flight is a function of main rotor torque. Tail rotor thrust available is a function

A Marine examines the tail rotor of an AH-1W during flight operations aboard USS Peleliu (LHA 5) Photo taken by MC2

Michael Russell.

of RPM. When the main rotor slows down it also slows down the tail rotor, providing less tail rotor thrust. Thus, the increased tail rotor thrust required to counteract increasing main rotor torque with drooped turns is not available. The pilot can call for more tail rotor thrust by increasing tail rotor torque with

increased left pedal, but at some point the ability to increase tail rotor angle of attack runs out. When tail rotor thrust required exceeds tail rotor thrust available, loss of tail rotor authority occurs and the nose of the aircraft yaws to the right.

8. Eventually the control limit will be reached and directional control lost. 7. This must be compensated for by the TR using more left pedal.

1. At maximum power the Pilot requires a little more power.

6. At maximum power, a decrease in RPM will cause an increase in M/R torque

2. Increase collective / Blade Pitch

5. Increase in Drag will cause RPM reduction.

3. Subsequent increase in AOA will not increase Lift / Thrust. 4. Increase the DRAG

Engage the Threat (Active and Latent Threats and You) Article By LT R. Bruce Lindsay, USN (CRM Navy Rotary Wing IMM)

What do you think of when I say: “Engage the threat”? Most of us would immediately think of enemy engagement, or utilizing weapons against a hostile force. While this is definitely true during “combat

ops”, I would like to bring attention to some of the more routine threats that we should be engaging on a regular basis to increase our mission accomplishment and safety margins. Threats in normal operations are defined as external situations,

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events or errors that occur outside the influence of the flight crew and must be managed. Such events increase the operational complexity of the flight and pose a safety risk to the flight at some level if not properly handled. Basically, Continue on page 48

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a THREAT is anything that increases operational complexity that, if not managed properly, can decrease the safety margins. There are two types of threats that we like to identify and teach to here at the Crew Resource Management schoolhouse during our CRM Instructors (CRM-I) course: Active Threats are factors that increase the likelihood of an error being committed, or a factor that increases the likelihood of not accomplishing the mission. I like to think of active threats as the “common threats” we expect and brief to while flying. They are the ones we experience on a routine basis, and have become proficient at mitigating and resolving. They may include: • Environmental- adverse weather, terrain, enemy • Internal Cockpit- fatigue, stress (perceived or actual) • External Cockpit- ATC, other A/C, external agencies / assets • Aircraft- systems degradations, aircraft

malfunctions, EP’s Latent Threats are aspects of the squadron or strike group organization that are not always easily identifiable, but that predispose the commission of errors, or the emergence of active threats. Latent threats are problems within the system that predispose the commission of errors that can lead to undesired aircraft states. They are usually discovered when analyzing aggregate data such as confidential incident reports, mishap reports and accident investigations. They may include: • Organizational / Professional culture (squadron / type wing level) • Regulatory practices and oversight (SOP) • Training philosophy and practices • Qualification standards (qualifications, currency, proficiency) • Aircraft characteristics • Equipment design issues • Flawed procedures (SOP, FTI,

• • •

MDG, NATOPS, etc) Scheduling practices Preparation for duty / tasking / event (personal responsibility) Personal stress, preoccupation or illness

Having knowledge of the additional threats we may encounter on a routine basis can help us maximize our mission accomplishment and safety margins. I challenge you to take a look at some of the above listed Active and Latent Threats and see if they are present in your routine operations and how they may affect your squadron or unit’s mission accomplishment. Statistics show that the majority of our mishaps are not happening during combat operations, but rather our routine operations. Knowledge is power, and effective use of the CRM Seven Skills during all phases of flight (planning through post-flight) can help ensure that we live to fly, and fight another day. Take time today to “Engage the threat”!

What Does A Fatigue Fracture Look Like And What Causes Them To Occur? Article by Rick Wartman P.E. (Aero-Structures Instructor)

Fatigue failures of metal components are one of the most common types of failure. It has been estimated that of all the structural failures that occur, over 80% of them are due to fatigue. The definition of metal fatigue is the progressive localized structural damage that occurs in a material subjected to repeated or fluctuating loads. Fatigue failures typically occur in components at a stress level much lower than the material’s ultimate strength. There isn’t anyone that I know of that has the ability to apply a large enough tensile load to a coat hanger to break it. In essence, you can not exceed the material’s ultimate strength (the strength at which it will fracture into two pieces). However, we all have the ability to break the coat hanger through the process of fatigue. We simply bend it back and forth several times until it fractures. Many components on our aircraft are origin of fatigue failure he image on the left hand side shows a subjected to cyclic loads that can lead to a fatigue classic fatigue failure. The easiest way Bench marks failure. This is why most dynamic components to identify a fatigue failure is the presence have a specified life. During the design of of “bench marks.” These can typically be these components an analysis was performed to seen without any magnification required. If determine how long the component could last you follow the series of beach marks on the without a crack occurring due to metal fatigue. concave side you will almost always end at the origin of the fatigue failure. Many times when a high time component is removed, it looks perfectly fine. However, the majority of its fatigue life has been consumed such that if it were to continue operation a structural crack would occur. The three primary pieces of information that go into a fatigue analysis are: (1) the type of material being used • (2) the stress level at which the component will operate • (3) The number of expected cycles the part will experience before removal. It needs to be understood that when the original fatigue analysis was performed by the manufacturer on a given component, it was assumed that the component did not have any surface defects. The highest level of stress typically occurs on the outside surface of a part. Defects such as corrosion pits, nicks, dings, or any other surface markings can cause the stress in that localized area to be higher than in the rest of the component. This increase in stress level will directly have a negative effect on the fatigue life of the component. This is why identifying the origin of a fatigue failure is always of interest. In most fatigue failure, when you locate the origin you will typically see some type of stress riser. In the image above of a crankshaft, the stress riser was caused by the manufacturer not maintaining the small radius that transitions from the bearing surface to the counterweight. This increased the stress in this area which decreased the fatigue life of the component. So as you can see, to eliminate future failures of this type you simply make certain the stress riser doesn’t occur.

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Safety Leadership Programs for DET OICs Article by Robert Hahn (Programs Instructor) Detachment operations are common in the rotary wing community. A recent Naval Safety Center (NSC) study prompted some discussion on this topic at the School of Aviation Safety (SAS). The NSC’s study revealed that 12 of 17 class A mishaps in the H-60 community occurred in squadrons operating on detachment or in detachment concept of operations. Although the number of mishaps on detachment is higher than those that occur in homeguard, the difference in the mishap rate between detachment operations and homeguard is not clear. The SAS conducted a nonscientific poll in one of its Aviation Safety for Commanders courses to find out the prospective rotary wing commanders thoughts on this issue. (A short questionnaire was distributed to 14 respondents) The O-5s volunteered that there was no standardized preparation for Det OICs. They further supported the idea of providing some sort of

safety leadership education, similar to the SAS’ ASC course for prospective commanding officers, for Det OICs. In a separate survey conducted by the SAS in July 2010, squadron commanders and XOs reported very strongly that there is a safety-leadership link. Both SAS’ surveys reconcile with data and conversations at the NSC. The safety-leadership training that would help Det OICs would be one similar to the SAS ASC course. Det OICs need to be aware of safety programs, and then motivated to support and enforce them. Research has shown that safety programs work if they are internalized, and a part of the way a squadron (or det) does business. SIRs have shown that when safety programs are disregarded, the results can be tragic. Leadership is the key, and detachment leadership is as important as any in a full up squadron. It

is difficult for a peer to suddenly lead the very group he or she was once part of. This is a unique leadership challenge that would need to be raised in Det OIC safety-leadership training. A Det OIC equipped with the knowledge and tools to ensure a safety program on detachment is as functional as the one at homeguard can be a powerful force multiplier. A Det OIC who has been exposed to the ‘whys’ of the various safety programs will be much more motivated to enforce them. Human Factors Boards, Risk Assessment programs, compliance with tool control, and NATOPS practices would all conspire to save lives and promote mission readiness. Safety education exposure coupled with leadership guidance from senior officers in the community can transform a young officer from a ‘peer’ to a ‘leader’ in a short time. The return on investment is safety in flight operations, and a likely increase in the effectiveness of the detachment.

Historical (cont).

FEET WET Article by CDR Lloyd Parthemer, USN (Ret)

his article is a Naval Helicopter Historical Society (NHHS) documentation of historical events at the July 2010 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) Reunion in San Diego. It describes the Army pilots transfer of the Viet Nam, Mekong Delta mission and helicopters to the Navy pilots and other events. First, Detachments from HC-1 were ordered to take the Army helicopters and get qualified by Army Pilots in aircraft and the mission. There were four HC-1 Dets called Gamewarden Dets that eventually became HA(L)-3 on 1 April 1967 and continued until disestablished in 1972. The term “FEET WET” seems appropriate as the vast majority of the members of the VHPA are Army and they had come to a NAVY town wherein they were indoctrinated in the NAVY methods of helicopter operations and many “SEA STORIES” I am sure. It was a

great opportunity to get to know and appreciate the inter-service history and capabilities as noted in the following comments by the VHPA Reunion Committee Chairman Mike Law: “The “umbrella” of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) extends to all military and civilian pilots who flew helicopters in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War Era defined as 1961 through 1975. During its 28 years the VHPA has identified approximately 49,000 individuals who are eligible for membership. From a pure demographics point of view US Navy helicopter pilots rank fourth behind those who served with the Army, Marines, and Air Force. However this past July 2nd, US Navy helicopter pilots were number one in the minds of the 1,000 people who attend a special dinner held on the USS

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Midway Museum in San Diego harbor as part of the 27th Annual VHPA Reunion. Mike Law explains: This was the first time the VHPA held its annual reunion in San Diego. I must say that if we had known just how great our experience would be, we’d have been here years ago! Almost two years ago we were able to reserve the Midway. We got to thinking – ‘yeah, most of us are ex-Army guys but we’re on a Navy ship – wouldn’t it be more than fitting to have some ex-Navy guys tell us all the great things they did during the War and show us around their ship?’ As we started putting plans into place we had the great good fortune of meeting retired Captain Walt Lester. Walt ‘just happened’ to be working on the HA(L)-3 micro-reunion scheduled for November 2009. His team ‘just happened’ to have arranged for the Wings & Rotors Museum to land their restored UH-1B Continue on page 52

Change of Command And Establishment

VX-1

Pioneers

Amphibious Squadron one

CAPT K. M. Kenney, USN relieved CAPT J. W. Lisenby Jr., USN on Junr 11, 2010

HMH-366 USS Ronald Reagan Hammerhead (CVN-76)

CAPT J. Curtis Shrab, USN relieved CAPT Andrew F. Cully, USN on August 3, 2010

CAPT Thom Burke, USN relieved CAPT Kenneth J. Norton, USN on August 12, 2010

HMM-364

HMH(T)-302

HS-6

Lt Col Trey Meadows USMC relieved Lt Col J.F. Harp, USMC, June 7, 2010

HSC-85

Phoenix

Purple Foxes

High Rollers

Lt Col Bruce T. Bridgewater, USMC relieved Lt Col C.S. Princkley, USMC on June 10, 2010

Lt Col Edward L. Jeep, USMC relieved Lt Col M.G.Schrecker, USMC on June 11, 2010

CDR Jay Gagne, USN relieved CDR Mike Newman, USN on June 12, 2010

Screamin’ Indians

CDR BrentA.Alfonza, USN relieved CDR Wes R. McCall USN on July 22, 2010

HS-15

HSCWSL

Red Lions

CDR Donald Cunningham, USN relieved CDR Jeffrey Hutchinson, USN on June 18 2010

CDR Kevin M. Kennedy, USN relieved CDR L.G. Getz, USN on June 24, 2010

HSM-41

HS-4

HMH-465

Black Knights

SeaHawks

Warhorse

CDR George R. Aguila,r USN relieved CDR John Zerr, USN on August 10, 2010

CDR Shaun C. McAndrew, USN relieved CDR Thomas C. Baldwin, USN on September 23, 2010

LtCol Eric A. Gillis, USMC relieved LtCol R.T. Ostermeyer, USMC on September 24, 2010

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

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Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

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Historical: Feet Wet

Continued from page 49

“Seawolf” gunship on the Midway during the micro-reunion. Walt invited me to attend the micro-reunion and ‘just happened’ to introduce me to retired Commander Lloyd Parthemer. Lloyd ‘just happened’ to ask me if I’d like to see the Naval Helicopter Historical Society exhibit and the restored helicopter squadron ready room below decks on the Midway Museum. I was absolutely blown away and knew immediately that I had to let the VHPA reunion attendees see these rooms and listen to some former Navy helicopter pilots. It should come as no surprise that the VHPA has had a long standing relationship with the Seawolf Association. Many VHPAers who flew in III and IV Corps in South Vietnam help start HA(L)-3 and supported them for many years. We also knew a little about the small but famous ‘White Hat Airline’ that flew out of Nha Trang, Vung Tau, and Saigon in support of the famous ‘Brown Water Navy.’ However, we were sadly lacking an understanding of the ‘Vert-Repers’ and Combat SAR. Clearly our ex-Army Chinook and Skycrane guys and our ex-Marine CH-46 drivers had considerable experience with the ‘iron dance’ – the art of logistical resupply for artillery outposts in remote places; but the ‘vert-rep dance’ for moving about a ton of cargo between ships

hour after hour after hour – clueless. Who does 90-second round-trip sorties anyway!? Clearly our ex-Army DUSTOFF guys plus our ex-Marine medevac and ex-Air Force Jolly Green guys knew a thing or two about medical evacuations during fire at all hours of the day or night; but flying an H-2 or an H-3 off a ship in the Tonkin into North Vietnam – clueless. Who’d have known that CLEMENTINE is actually a sacred and highly revered radio call sign anyway!? Most Army guys got to ‘enjoy’ 9-months of helicopter flight school at ‘exciting places’ like Mineral Wells Texas and ‘Mother Rucker’ Alabama with several hundred of your new best friends in this month’s flight school class before heading for one of literally a hundred different helicopter units in Vietnam. Even our Marine friends knew that was crazy so their pilots trained for 13-months! How did the Navy do it? A typical Army helicopter unit had about 30 aircraft – twenty transports (slicks) and ten gunships. So how does a twoaircraft Det work anyway? And the human side of the war? Most Army guys lived in tents and walked through lots of

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dust or mud to/from their helicopters. We ate lots of ‘mystery meat’ that had been frozen and refrozen more times than one really wanted to know about. What was it like to go to war after sleeping in a clean area and eating real food? What was it like living ‘far outside’ mortar and artillery range? Most VHPAers know about parking a helicopter in a revetment; but it must take some special kind of crazy to put an H-2 on the back of a destroyer!? Then Tom Phillips showed me a picture of an H-3 that would only fit at an angle on the ship! Unbelievable!! On a lighter note, the evening was extra special for VHPA member Bobby Cormack. As a seaman he served on the Midway during its 1960 cruise, left the Navy for the Air Force and ending up flying helicopters in the Army. He was really surprised that 1,000 people would come help him celebrate his 50th anniversary of being a sailor on the USS Midway!” A Barbeque dinner was served on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum on the 2nd of July and the following are some events that took place: Captain Randy Bogle USN(Ret) gave a briefing of the Vertical replenishment (VertRep) operations and responsibilities while he was in HC-3 CDR Tom Phillips USN (Ret) reviewed the history of HA(L)-3 Bob Clark [Navy pilot] and Walker Jones [Army pilot] finally got to meet some 40 years after an ‘Iron Barnacle’ mission where Walker’s LOH was shot down. The HH-2D crew rescued Walker and his crew from deep triple canopy jungle when it appeared initially that they were lost. Another unbelievable war story with a successful conclusion and a reunion that will never be forgotten.

The program committee members (l-r) Walt Lester, Randy Bogle, Tom Phillips, Mike Law, Bobby Cormack and Bob Clark. (Walker Jones is not shown)

Article by LT Bill Teal, USN

t was going to be just another night of SSC looking for suspicious activity in the Eastern Pacific. Our SH-60B crew was flying routine night flights to interdict drug trafficking that routinely follows routes from Columbia and Ecuador to Mexico. This was yet another night flight on NVGs, unable to distinguish the difference between one fishing boat and another. That night we were fighting all the same issues that are prevalent along the equator in the Eastern Pacific: Poor FLIR ranges, a solid cloud layer at 2000 feet, and substantial haze between the surface and 500 feet that blurred the horizon and the few lights you could see. The environment was taxing on both the flying pilot and nonflying pilots’ instrument scans. As we all do, despite less than ideal conditions, we got lulled into a sense of confidence. It was sure to be just like every other night that week, but during a control swap, the cockpit was illuminated momentarily by the orange glow of the master caution light. Not a moment later, it extinguished. The flash caught both of us off guard and instantly we turned to the caution/advisory panel, expecting a light to indicate what the problem may be. But there was no light. With no other evident problems and with the aircraft under control, we started a turn back towards the ship. Once on the way, our crew began the discussion of what might be wrong with the aircraft. NATOPS tells us that a flashing master caution light with no secondary problems can indicate a malfunctioning tail or intermediate gearbox chip detector. But on further discussion, both I and my HAC agreed that a light on the caution/

There I Was

Just Another Night in Eastern Pacific advisory panel had flashed along with the master caution light. We just had no idea what it was. Since it was night time and we were unable to identify the problem, we decided to proceed home. Just as we were about to make a radio call to the ship, the master caution light flashed again. This time we were able to narrow down which caution/advisory light might have been the culprit. Our best educated guess, based on roughly where on the panel the flash had been, and using judgment about what on the aircraft could produce that behavior, was that our chip detectors were picking up metal shavings in our intermediate or tail rotor gearbox oil. This could lead ultimately to a failure of our drive train and an autorotation into the water. I made the radio call to the ship informing them that we were headed back in for a precautionary landing and that they should set flight quarters. It was a long 50 miles back between executing and reviewing checklists, staying vigilant for further indications, and communicating with the ship. Despite the long transit the ship was still maneuvering for winds, not yet ready to recover us. We were just a few miles from starting the approach. Because we didn’t really know what was wrong with the aircraft, we decided to declare an emergency and informed the ship of our intent to land as soon as

possible.

complete night DLQs and VERTREP to a DDG in the North Arabian Gulf for three pilots. This is the Desert Hawks’ backyard and a DDG is our playground. After visiting so many while on deployment in the Arabian Gulf, it becomes second nature to land on DDGs. The night skies were clear, but the illumination was less than 10%,

and the moon was not going to rise until after the flight landed. We all knew it was going to be a “varsity night,” but I hadn’t seen this type of darkness yet. The flight north was uneventful, and we arrived at the ship just at sunset. The plan was for me to fly the second event, after the first pilot got his night DLQs and VERTREP. I

Communication between an aircrew and an air-capable ship can sometimes involve a great deal of translation and explanation. At this point, the best tool I had to explain my situation was that it was an emergency – Shipboard watchstanders know that when an aircrew plays this card, things need to happen rapidly. Very soon thereafter, the LSO was able to give us a green deck, and we recovered with no further issues. This flight reminded us of two things: To be vigilant rather than complacent, and to be decisive rather than hesitant. First: The routine nature of our flight lulled us into a state of complacency. A good instrument scan, even on a dark night, includes the system gauges and the flight instruments alike. It’s possible that a more active gauge scan would have let us make a better-educated guess about which light had flashed in our cockpit, allowing us to make better decisions about how best to fly the aircraft home. Second: When there isn’t enough information to make a decision, hesitance can cloud a pilot’s judgment. In a situation in which a decision is required, no action is just as much a choice as action, and it’s seldom the correct choice. Even with no real knowledge at all of what our aircraft was trying to tell us, we made the decision that it was a drive train problem – the worst case we could think of – and protected ourselves and our aircraft accordingly.

Into the Dark Abyss

Article by LT Jeremy Steffen, USN

hroughout flight school, I kept hearing from all of the instructors that flying off of a ship at night would be one of the most demanding and stressful times for a helicopter pilot. Flying into the “dark abyss” was something that I didn’t experience until halfway through my H2P deployment, and it was definitely a humbling experience. The mission was to successfully

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Continue on page 54

There I Was: Into the Dark Abyss Continued from page 53

would be able to relax a little before getting into the cockpit and flying my flight. I went inside the ship and sat in the wardroom as I waited for the call to get ready. The fluorescent lights didn’t give my eyes any time to adjust to the night, which is something that I didn’t think about. After about forty-five minutes, I got the call to be ready. Before I put my helmet on, I decided to hook my NVGs onto my helmet so I would be ready to quickly goggle once in the cockpit. This decision turned out to save me from the embarrassment of tripping over anything and everything on the deck. As I went through the small black curtains that hide the red lights of the interior passageways from the outside, I was completely surprised to realize that I couldn’t see anything ahead of me. Luckily, I had already put my NVGs onto my helmet, so I quickly pulled them down and slowly found my way to the flight deck. I strapped into the aircraft and got the word from the HAC that we weren’t even going to attempt VERTREP due to the fact that we didn’t have a natural horizon. The HAC asked me if I wanted to take the first takeoff, or if I wanted him to do it. I told him he could perform the takeoff because my eyes weren’t completely adjusted yet. This was the best decision I made. We pulled into a ten foot hover, performed our power checks, and pedal turned 90 degrees. We got a second power check and everything looked normal. For anyone who has taken off from a ship, you understand that once you start the climb out, you are at a critical phase of flight where any sort of power degradation could be catastrophic due to the high power requirements, low speed, and a lack of altitude. Now add to the mix the fact that there was no reference to anything once we left the ship. I now know exactly what every instructor talked about when they mentioned the “dark abyss”.

Once he mission was to successfully complete clear of the night DLQs and VERTREP to a DDG in ship, both pilots were on the North Arabian Gulf for three pilots. instruments This is the Desert Hawks’ backyard and a DDG as we attained three positive is our playground. After visiting so many while on rates of climb deployment in the Arabian Gulf, it becomes second and safe nature to land on DDGs. The night skies were single engine airspeed. I had clear, but the illumination was less than 10%, and my hand on the the moon was not going to rise until after the flight RADALT hold landed. We all knew it was going to be a “varsity and quickly night,” but I hadn’t seen this type of darkness yet. engaged it after 150 ft. It was definitely a relief to see that it be a dark night and the moon wouldn’t be up was working as advertised. We started at all throughout the flight, but I never allowed a slow turn to downwind, and the HAC my eyes to be adjusted for the darkness. Thank and I swapped controls as briefed. I had goodness I already had my NVGs on my helmet some lights in sight, but due to the sheer or else I would have had to go back inside and amount of darkness, I wasn’t sure if put them on. The last place I wanted to be was they were the ship’s lights or not. With fumbling around on an unsteady ship deck at help from the crewmen in back, I saw it night without any sight. Second, I didn’t help was the ship and we turned inbound to my crew nor was I completely prepared for my final. It was amazing to me how close flight before I got into the aircraft. I helped no I needed to get before I could reference one by sitting inside the wardroom and not being any sort of lineup line or visual cue. The engaged with the flight. There was no reason final approach was a bit slow and high, why I couldn’t have been in the tower ready but I just wanted a little extra margin of to help the flying crew in case of any sort of altitude as I came in. The crewmen in emergency situation. The lessons learned after the back provided excellent calls as we this flight resulted in a discussion of these two got over the deck and landed. A feeling issues and a policy stating that all pilots will be of relief came over me as the wheels out on the flight deck at least 30 minutes prior touched down for that first landing and to their flight, and one pilot will be in the tower we were safely aboard. I only had five ready to assist. more takeoffs and landings and I would I was humbled by the “dark abyss” be current. The rest of the flight went and I will be ready to tell the new SNAs well and it ended without any incidents. about my experience. It truly was one of the I could tell each time we landed that I most demanding and stressful flights that I’ve was getting a little more confident. executed but, at the same time, one of the most This flight definitely “expanded educational and rewarding flights I’ve flown in my flight box” and in the end provided my naval career. some valuable training for all of the flight crews. There were two major teaching points that I learned from this evolution. First, I knew it was going to

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Region One Golf Tournament at Salt Creek Golf Course Article by LT John Petrasanta, USN

Regional Updates

NHA Region 1

Golf team winner of the Region One Tournament (l-r) CDR Jay Gagne, LCDR Jared Hannum, AWS2 Nate Freischlag, LT Jon Morton. Photo taken by LT John Petrasanta, USN

he NHA Regional ONE Golf Tournament took place on August 27, 2010 at the Salt Creek Golf Club, Chula Vista, CA. There were 112 golfers at the event. LT Jared Ott of HSC-3 was the coordinator for the tournament. Thanks to a generous donation made by Hadley Larson from Kopriva Winery in Sonoma County, CA, everyone that participated in the NHA Region ONE golf tournament had the opportunity to taste their highly rated no-oak Chardonnay. The tournament was a great success and everyone walked away very happy with a sampling of some great wine.

2010 HSC Ball

A Night of Laughter and Entertainment

Article by LT Pam Stefanski, USN

he HSC Pacific community gathered together on August 21st for their annual HSC Ball. It was a fun-filled night of dinner, dancing, contests, and prizes hosted by HS-10. The 200 guests from ten units welcomed Commander, Naval Air Forces, Vice Admiral Myers, along with former HSCWP commodores, to the event. Following a sumptuous steak and salmon dinner, Vice Admiral Myers spoke on the history of rotary wing aviation and the current missions of 1st Place Centerpiece, HS10 Interactive Dipping Helicopter. Photo by LT Stefanski

HS-10 CO, CDR Pat Foege with the HS-10 Warhawk (LT Steve Macgillis). Photo by LT Stefanski

Rotor Review # 110 Summer â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;10

the HSC community. Congratulations go to HS10 and HSC-21, who placed first and second, respectively, in the centerpiece contest, having the centerpieces that best represented their squadrons. Congratulations also go to the 6 tables which placed in Port Call Trivia. During the kick-off happy hour, several squadrons showed their pride with their inventive uniform accessories. The eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment also included big-screen Wii competitions and an impromptu dance-off. All guests took home $25 gift certificates; some lucky guests took home door prizes. Continue on page 56

REGIONAL UPDATES: HSC-PACIFIC BALL An evening of fine dining and fun. Photo by Frankel Photography

Continued from page 55

Squadron Updates

The event was held at the Sheraton Hotel San Diego and Marina on Harbor Island. It was a fabulous evening that was enjoyed by everyone who attended. Special thanks go to LT Pam Stefanski, coordinator, and LT Steve Whiteway, LT Dave Camp, LT Jim Gormley, LT Sean Pretak, and LT Dave Howard, committee members for organizing the event. The evening was a huge success.

Intrepid Warhawk Maintenance Department Earns FY09 Sikorsky Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance Award. Article by LT John Wagner, USN

he W a r h a w k Maintenance Team of HS-10 exceeded FY-09 production goals by performing with efficiency and dynamism. Every Sailor in the department lives the Maintenance Officer’s mantra of “Quality aircraft” and “Quality maintenance, by the book.” The impressive change in aircraft condition, aircraft performance, and cost savings earned the department and the squadron the FY-09 Sikorsky Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance Award. FY-09 was truly a banner year for HS-10. The squadron ably met the challenges of managing a large

shore component, deploying an ESCU detachment in support of JTF-515, assisting operational HS squadrons with aircraft and maintenance expertise, and managing the introduction and integration of civilian contract maintenance into a busy department. The squadron also transferred five FMC aircraft while receiving seven aircraft from the Fleet. Despite these challenges, Warhawk FY09 Maintenance achievements included posting the Highest First Pass Yield ever recorded in the squadron, and the highest for any FRS in Naval Aviation. The Warhawk maintenance department consistently exceeded the CNO Full Mission Capable and Aircraft Ready for Training rates. PMI time to first flight decreased from greater than 60 days for

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

the first aircraft that returned in FY-09, to an average of 12 days for the last five aircraft completing PMI. Perhaps the most astonishing fact is that these outstanding achievements were made with AVDLR and AFM Budget savings of 36.5% and 17% respectively. The phenomenal performance of the maintenance department resulted in the squadron exceeding assigned pilot production, flying over 3,700 sorties, and surpassing over 85,000 Class A Mishapfree flight hours. The maintenance transformation, operational efficiency, mission accomplishment, and remarkable cost savings made the Warhawks the proud choice for the Sikorsky Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance Award.

SQUADRON UPDATES: HSC-22 / HSM-71

“IMPACT! – TERMINATE!” Article by CW03 Mike Adams, USN

uly 14, 2010 was a historic day for Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWO TWO (HSC-22) and the Navy as a whole. The Rhinos of HSC-22 Det TWO, deployed aboard USS Freedom (LCS-1) participated in a RIMPAC 2010 SINKEX event, which deployed live ordnance on the decommissioned USS Monticello (LSD-35). The mission consisted of an autonomous AGM-114B Hellfire missile shot followed by remote designation for another missile to be shot by the Black Knights of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron FOUR (HS4). As is often the case, the mission was not without its challenges. Multiple Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS) discrepancies were identified the night prior to the flight after several days of successful operational checks. The talented maintenance professionals of Det TWO worked late into the night/ early morning to replace the FLIR turret and ensure Crusader 03 was mission ready.

The following day, the Rhino crew consisting of the Navy’s first Flying Warrant Officer Helicopter Aircraft Commander, CWO3 Michael Adams, LT Matt Boyce, AWSC Smith and AWS2 Collins, launched Crusader 03 from the USS Freedom to refuel at Barking Sands and brief with the Black Knight crew. After a detailed faceto-face NATOPS/TACTICS brief, the section departed the airfield enroute to the target area. The flight split up for the autonomous shot, which was executed by Crusader 03 without a hitch. The missile impacted the target on the starboard beam just above the waterline. Crusader 03 subsequently re-joined Black Knight 35 as a section and proceeded to the holding area to set up for remote designation. The section conducted a dig maneuver to gain adequate separation and Crusader 03 commenced lasing the target with the Black Knight missile leaving the rail and hitting the superstructure just below the bridge windows. This successful shot simulated disablement of the ship’s

communication systems. Both aircraft returned to their respective ships upon completion of the SINKEX. CDR Robert “Aggs” Aguilar, Executive Officer of HS-4, later commented “It’s nice to know our training standard across the HSC community is such that two helos from different squadrons, from different ships and coasts can show up same day, same airspace, and execute like SOP what is probably one of the hardest missions we do.” Meticulous mission planning, focused training and enthusiastic teamwork were the key drivers behind the event’s successful outcome. LCDR Jeff Sowers, HSC-22 Detachment TWO OIC, thanked his maintainers for their herculean efforts getting the aircraft ready and noted, “Today’s historic flight demonstrates the superior capabilities of the MH-60S Armed Helicopter weapon systems and puts a spotlight on the quality of aircrews and maintainers serving our community.”

HSM 71 Detachment Underway for RIMPAC Article by LTJG Frederick D. Grant, USN

he Raptors of HSM 71 are returning to sea to provide the same ASW and SUW support that earned them the coveted 2009 Captain Arnold J. Isbell Award. The squadron will embark two helicopters aboard USS Sampson (DDG 102) to participate in RIMPAC 2010. RIMPAC is a semi-annual, international exercise conducted by Commander, THIRD FLEET. Participating nations in the past have included the United Kingdom, Canada, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Chile, and Peru. The multi-national nature of the exercise presents its participants

with a unique opportunity to conduct large scale war at sea training against dissimilar targets. This will also be the first time the MH-60R’s dipping sensor has been employed with many of these RIMPAC allied nations. As such, RIMPAC is a critical tool to maintaining the region’s strategic maritime security. The Raptors are looking forward to teaming with USS Sampson for RIMPAC. Although assigned Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG 3), HSM 71 will support Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG 11) for this exercise. HSM 71 also normally deploys its helicopters and crews as a whole squadron in Carrier Air

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Wing NINE, so RIMPAC will provide a rare opportunity for the Raptors to exercise their expeditionary capability. The detachment officer-in-charge, LCDR Carey Castelein, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming exercise, “We are looking forward to showcasing the capabilities of the MH-60R to our Pacific Allies. I think we’ll open a lot of people’s eyes.” With enthusiasm like that, opposing submariners can anticipate many sleepless nights attempting to hide from the ever-vigilant Raptors under the warm seas of the Pacific Rim.

SQUADRON UPDATES: HSM- 71/HSC-2

HSM 71 Presented the 2009 Battle Efficiency Award Article by LTJG Frederick D. Grant, USN

he Raptors of HSM 71 were very proud to recently receive the 2009 Battle Efficiency Award from Captain Paul Haas, Commander Carrier Air Wing NINE, onboard NAS North Island. The Battle “E” is presented to the squadron in the HSM community that has demonstrated the highest standards of excellence in both cost management and operational readiness. Over the past year, HSM 71’s commitment to upholding these standards earned them the award over tough competition. The squadron’s 2009 WESTPAC deployment, the Navy’s first with the MH-60R Seahawk, provided HSM 71 with many opportunities to show why they’re the 2009 winners. During Undersea Warfare Exercise ’09, the Raptors

provided 72 hours of continuous AntiSubmarine Warfare coverage. This around the clock presence kept all six enemy submarines from launching any attack on the high value unit that the squadron was defending. The Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command assessed that HSM 71’s valid kill rate was the highest in the history of HSMWINGPAC participation. In addition, HSM 71’s Det 3 embarked onboard USS Kidd (DDG 100) conducted Special Mission Ship escort operations in the South China Sea and supported Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in the Philippines by conducting coastal mapping, NSW training, and logistics support with Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines. The Raptors also conducted a Split Detachment of 1 MH-60R and 1

MH-60S on USS Preble (DDG 88) for three days, demonstrating the capability of joint operations from a CRUDES ship. While in port, HSM 71 Sailors served as ambassadors for both the Navy and our Nation during visits to several countries in the 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility. The experience the Raptors gained on this deployment resulted in a complete rewrite of the aircraft’s Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures manual. Over the past year, HSM 71 has clearly demonstrated their commitment to the Navy’s strategic objectives through the implementation of the Helicopter Master Plan and the successful integration of the MH-60R into a Carrier Air Wing.

HSC-2 Is Recognized

Article and Photo by LT Matthew Mravlja, USN

n August 5, 2010 the Fleet Angels of HSC-2, the East Coast MH-60S Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) took an opportunity to recognize an impressive string of accomplishments. The Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic (HSCWL) Commodore, CAPT Mike Cashman, presented the Aircrew and Maintainers of Sikorsky director CAPT(Ret) Greg Hoffman HSC-2 Detachment ONE presents the Golden Wrench Award to LT Al with a variety of personal Tunidor. awards recognizing their contributions to the Haiti relief efforts while deployed to the Haiti operating area in January and February of 2010. Commodore Cashman additionally acknowledged the Squadron’s Medical Department, which for the second consecutive year has earned the Squadron the Blue M for maintaining the highest level of medical standards and readiness. Also in attendance at the Awards Quarters was the Sikorsky Director of Navy Requirements, CAPT (Ret) Greg Hoffman. CAPT (Ret) Hoffman presented the Maintenance Officer, LT Al Tunidor,

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and the Command with the Sikorsky “Golden Wrench” award for maintenance excellence. At the conclusion of the event, the Detachment ONE Officer in Charge, LCDR Shannon Martin, presented the HSC-2 Commanding Officer, CDR Shelby Mounts, with a plaque commemorating the Detachment’s outstanding achievements in Haiti. While not presented at the Awards Quarters, the Squadron recently learned that they were awarded the Commander Theodore G. Ellyson Aviator Production Excellence Award. The award is sponsored by CACI and is awarded to Fleet Replacement and CNATRA Squadrons demonstrating the greatest production efficiency in training Pilots, Naval Flight Officers, and Aircrewmen within the CNO approved syllabus time. The HSC-2 Fleet Angels are looking forward to the coming months and continuing to set the standard that allowed them to earn these well-deserved awards.

SQUADRON UPDATES: HSL-51

HSC-26 Det FOUR CARGO NINJAS: Demonstrating the Diversity of HSC Article and Photo by LT Matias Kinsman, USN

he Cargo Ninjas of HSC-26 Detachment FOUR returned home to Naval Station Norfolk on July 26, 2010 after seven months deployed onboard the USNS Supply (T- AOE-6) with the Eisenhower Strike Group. The detachment flew over 500 flight hours that included Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP), passenger transfers, Search and Rescue (SAR), Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP), Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC), and routine training flights. During the deployment we operated in the SECOND, FIFTH, and SIXTH Fleet Areas of Responsibility (AOR) moving over 300 passengers, 11 tons of internal cargo, 1600 tons of external cargo, and 21 tons of mail. The detachment’s two aircraft logged over 800 day and night shipboard landings and achieved a 100 percent operational mission completion rate. The USNS Supply departed Naval Weapons Station Earle, NJ on January 2, 2010 with most of the detachment onboard after driving up via bus on January 1st. Two flight crews flew Sidekick 64 and 65 from Norfolk, VA to meet the ship just off the New Jersey coast on January 2nd. The weather was overcast, cold, and drizzling. The aircraft were unable to communicate with the tower due to communication problems with the ship; however they were able to establish communications with the bridge using maritime channels and confirm that the ship was ready to receive them. The ship then proceeded east and immediately experienced the rough seas of the North Atlantic Ocean in winter. The Supply first stopped in Rota, Spain overnight to take on supplies and then proceeded into the Mediterranean Sea. In the Mediterranean we had our first re-supply of the Eisenhower while on deployment. We then entered the Suez Canal, made a brief stop in Djibouti, and were on station in the FIFTH Fleet AOR by the end of

the month. For the remainder of the deployment we would hit the carrier for VERTREP every week and other ships throughout the week including foreign navies such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. Most of our re-supply was accomplished in Fujairah, UAE every week which led to a slogan on our DET T-shirts that claims “Homeport, Fujairah.” The liberty ports that we hit while in FIFTH Fleet included two stops to Bahrain and one to Jebel Ali. From the start we were out to get as many missions as possible. We did not want to be simply the “VERTREP DET” and only fly a couple of missions a week. This attitude was positively received and after working out some issues in getting the requests to us, we found ourselves picking up missions that were valuable not only to the aircrew’s experience, but to the Strike Group as well. We found ourselves being

moving some of Eisenhower’s personnel for PCS transfer. We also stood Plane Guard for Eisenhower and helped support two days of operational search missions in the Gulf of Oman. The most unique missions for this HSC detachment, however, came during our multiple transits of the Strait of Hormuz. For this mission we contributed one of our aircraft and two crews for ATFP support each night we transited. These missions were not only much appreciated by the Eisenhower Strike Group, but were also an invaluable experience for the aircrews involved, especially for the junior pilots and aircrew. During the transits we got an up close view of the Iranian Navy and even a couple of smugglers. During our final transit of the Strait we found ourselves called upon to cover a ten hour block of Surface Surveillance Coordination (SSC) when maintenance problems plagued the Strike Group. Our usual duties for the strait transit involved about three hours of flying during the transit through the narrow portion. On this day we were asked to launch several hours early to fill in the gapped coverage.

HSC-26, Det FOUR Cargo Ningas tasked with passenger transfers, or PMC as we call them, moving between the various ships of the Strike Group. This included helping out the COD’s when they were unable to fly for a week by

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We jumped at this opportunity and were airborne and on station within an hour of being notified. Two more times in our deployment Continue on page 60

SQUADRON UPDATES: HSC- 26 / HSM-41

Continued from page 59

we would find ourselves called on to provide support for ATFP: once in the Bab Al Mandeb (BAM) Strait to counter any possible pirate threats and once more through the Strait of Gibraltar while transiting home with the USS Carney (DDG-64). By our willingness to provide our support in a wide variety of missions, we were able to contribute greatly to the entire Strike Group. During our deployment we accomplished all of our assigned missions and many that popped up on short notice. On the way home we stopped in Souda Bay, Crete and Augusta Bay,

Sicily before heading for the Atlantic. The deployment was long, but every junior pilot collected a wide variety of valuable experiences that will contribute to our well-rounded development. We accomplished our core mission sets brilliantly and also contributed to missions not typically asked of a VERTREP DET. Our attitude and professional dedication to every mission was well received by the entire Eisenhower Strike Group. It was a good end to what may very well be one of the last deployments of Navy helicopters onboard MSC ships.

Hsm-41 Seahawks participate in the 11th Annual “Vertical Challenge” Air Show Article by LTJG Victoria Marum, USN

n Friday, June 18th 2010, HSM41 sent a flight of two MH-60R’s to attend the eleventh annual “Vertical Challenge” air show in San Carlos, California. Based out of NAS North Island, Helicopter Strike Maritime Squadron FOUR ONE trains pilots and aircrew to fly and employ the Navy’s newest, most advanced helicopter, the MH-60R Seahawk. Hosted by the Hiller Aviation Museum, “Vertical Challenge” is the nation’s largest all-helicopter air show and featured over 50 aircraft this year. This unique event allowed visitors to witness helicopter operations firsthand and demonstrated to the public how they influence our daily lives, including traffic and

news broadcasting, life saving services and our national defense. Along with several civilian aerobatic shows, a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin performed a search and rescue demo, and the “Flying Nightmares” of VMA-513 conducted an AV-8B Harrier flyover. On the flightline, a large contingent of military rotorcraft was on static display. The ten Seahawk crewmembers were joined by Marine rotary wing aircrews from the HMM-364 Purple Foxes, HMH-462 Heavy Haulers, HMLAT-303 Atlas, and VMM-161 Greyhawks flying an MV22. Both days, the crews from HSM-41 entertained a steady stream

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of curious visitors, ranging from toddlers to those well into their twilight years. The excitement emanating from our fellow aviation aficionados was palpable. Everyone was eager to climb into the aircraft and imagine themselves as part importance of a 60R crew. As members of the military, it is often easy to lose sight of the importance and necessity of what we consider as simply “part of the job.” The opportunity to share our knowledge and experience with others is humbling in its ability to put it all in perspective. Attending air shows like the “Vertical Challenge” provides valuable training to our pilots and aircrew, as well as allowing a more personal interaction between the U.S. Navy’s aviation community and the civilian world.

SQUADRON UPDATES: HSC-12 / HSC-28

HSC-12 Sailor Shine during Workups with CVW 2 Article by LTJG Jeffrey Dawson, USN

t the beginning of June, the World Famous Golden Falcons of Helicopter Sea CombatSquadronTWELVE(HSC-12)joined their CVW2 counterparts in participating in Air Wing Fallon. The squadron conducted the first integrated training exercise involving the MH-60S Block 3B while conducting joint training with Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force personnel. Some of the mission sets focused on during Air Wing Fallon included Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Special Operation Forces (SOF) support, Convoy Escort, NonTraditional Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (NTISR), Maritime and Close Air Support (MAS/CAS), Captive Air Training Missile Exercises (CATMEX), as well as four successful live fire AGM-114B Hellfire shots. The maritime and close air support included newer mission areas of Moving Vehicle Tracking (MVT) and Dynamic Targeting (DT) exercises. Throughout the detachment, HSC-12 worked with a joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) in a close air support environment. HSC-

12 achieved a 100% validity rating with the Hellfire shots, which were employed against a variety of overland targets including tanks and personnel carriers. Following return from Fallon just prior to the 4th of July weekend, the squadron began POM leave periods before undergoing its final stages of workups for the upcoming deployment. This deployment will be the first time that the squadron has deployed since the 2009 transition from Helicopter AntiSubmarine Squadron TWO to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWELVE. HSC-12 is currently participating in the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the coast of Southern California with Carrier Air Wing TWO deployed onboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72). During COMPTUEX, the squadron participated in Helicopter Visit Board Search and Seizure (HVBSS) exercises with EOD and SOF teams, day and night gunnery exercises, day and night CSAR exercises, CATMEXs, Counter Special Operations Forces exercises

(CSOFEX), Straits Transit exercises and Plane Guard duties. During the upcoming deployment, HSC-12 will have a an unprecedented HSC (CVW) Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) detachment aboard the USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7). The hard work and dedication of the enlisted personnel paid off as HSC-12 personnel won three of the four quarterly awards from Carrier Air Wing TWO. AWS2 Matthew Blackwell won the Sailor of the Quarter Award. Recently promoted through the command advancement program (CAP), AD2 Tiffani Morenzoni won the Junior Sailor of the Quarter Award. AEAN Michael McFarland won the Blue Jacket of the Quarter Award, not only for CVW 2 but also for Carrier Strike Group NINE.

HSC-28 Bayraiders, Detachment Four Aboard USS Nassau (LHA-4) – AWS3 Breaks Record Article courtesy of HSC-28 Public Affairs Office

et. FOUR, a dual helicopter search and rescue detachment embarked aboard the USS Nassau returned home recently after a seven month cruise. Roughly five months into deployment, including a detour in Haiti followed by a transit to our main area of operations in the Gulf of Aden, the Nassau had managed to hit a grand total of zero port calls. The deployment consisted of everything from humanitarian relief in Haiti to ASAR missions in the Gulf of Aden. The majority of our flying had been focused on ASAR which entails burning circles in the sky so the Harriers and Ospreys can launch and recover

with a lifeguard on duty. We had been fortunate enough to participate in some other unique missions including transporting Somali pirates as well as escorting Drew Brees and his entourage during an MWR trip. Due to the relative predictability of life aboard the ship, daily routines took on a somewhat “Groundhog Day” familiarity. Thankfully, the Nassau broke routine after 159 days at sea as it pulled into port in the Seychelles, a small island chain off the eastern coast of Africa. No Sailor or Marine aboard the Nassau understood the joy of that port call more than AWS3 (NAC/AW) Aaron D. Primm, who now holds the Navy’s

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record for most consecutive days at sea without a port call since World War II. He unwittingly began his recordbreaking cruise with a 24-hour recall to join HSC-28’s Haiti Relief effort onboard USNS Comfort (T-AH-20). Due to the injury of another crewman slated to deploy with the Nassau, Primm again got the call and transferred to the Nassau as she ended humanitarian relief operations in Haiti and began her scheduled deployment. A happy Det. FOUR returned to even happier families on Sunday, August 15, 2010, as HSC-28 put another successful detachment into its record books.

SQUADRON UPDATES: HSMWSP

H-60 Aircrewmen Fly Chuck Norris Into the Drink Article by LT Katie Baehr, USN

Team Roundhouse. Photo taken by LT Katie Baehr, USN

econds after takeoff AWR2 Justin Phillips, an H-60 aircrewman, felt his body rotate backwards and for a split second thought, “I really hope I don’t hurt myself.” He held on for dear life as he saw parts fly everywhere and crashed into the water below. For most aircrew this is our worst nightmare, our aircraft falling apart and crashing into the icy water below. To survive is a miracle. Phillips did survive, as did the five other crew members who bravely launched their Chuck Norris humanpowered flying machine off the Pine Avenue Pier in Long Beach, CA. during the Red Bull Flutag event on Aug. 21. They surfaced amongst a debris field of foam, parachute rigging, and PVC pipe sinking to the bottom, and with it, their chances of flying farthest. But their two-month old home-grown mustaches endured, as did their pride. “Team Roundhouse,” named in honor of Churck Norris’ signature martial arts kick, consists of five H-60 aircrewmen from HSM Weapons School in San Diego: AWR2 Justin Phillips, AWRC (sel) Ken Ball, AWR1 Wade Trainer, AWR2 Dan Shearer, and

AWR2 Martin Corbett. The team envisioned and built a human flying machine for the Red Bull Flutag Long Beach competition. Flugtag, meaning “Fly Day” in German, is a competition challenging participants to build a human-powered flying machine and launch it from a 30 foot platform. Teams are judged on distance, creativity, and showmanship. Team Roundhouse attended a selection party in Long Beach decked out in their Chuck Norris costumes. A few days later the event organizers contacted and selected them as participants in the competition as well as a team featured in the reality TV show “Red Bull Flutag: On the Wings of Glory” released by Fox Sports on Sept. 5. For the next three months the team labored and toiled to fund and build the Chuck Norris machine they sketched at work. “We were brainstorming about what to do for the flugtag competition, and it just happened to be Chuck Norris’ birthday,” Phillips said. “We decided to base our craft after him since he is the ultimate bad ass and he’s an avid supporter of the troops.” Foamco donated the huge block of foam for Chuck’s head. “AWRC

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(select) Ball and myself picked it up. On the ride back we joked about it flying out of his truck. Sure enough, that very moment the foam went airborne, breaking all the straps tying it down. We watched in horror as it tumbled down the freeway and cars swerved to miss it. Luckily we were able to sprint backwards and grab it off the freeway before a semi split it in two.” 5th House Production’s film crews followed the team for the next three months. They filmed the build as well as the aircrewmen on the job. The footage included leaping out of helicopters into the ocean during SAR (Search and Rescue) jumps, a helicopter simulator event, and a GAU-16 and M240 gun lab. Phillips said, “We all did not know what to expect with the film crews following us. After the first day of filming on base, all of our worries were put to rest. These guys were absolutely ecstatic about the footage they got of our SAR jumps. They were singing our praises all night and could not believe what we do for a living. In the end I believe this show is going to have positive influence for future recruits looking to join our prestigious community.” These five aircrewmen from HSM Weapons School received overwhelming support from the local community, their fans, their command, and the U.S. Navy, all of whom are proud of their Flutag efforts and the service they provide this country. Chuck Norris even sent word to the guys via his agent stating, “Thanks for the great attempt!” They’ll be receiving autographed copies of The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book written by the man himself. When asked how they balanced all the time and effort for this competition and full time jobs as H-60 aircrewmen, Phillips said, “We have an awesome job that allows us to do amazing things every day and still have time to do things such as this. We are proud to serve the United States and proud to be a part of this competition.” Team Roundhouse’s Chuck Norris machine may not have flown very far, and some may say it was more of a crash than a flight, but Phillips presumed, “We jump out of aircraft into deep water for a living, so we figured we’d survive.”

SQUADRON UPDATES:HSL-51

The New Warlord 700 Unveiled Article by LTJG Grant Morris, USN

he Warlords of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light FIVE ONE (HSL-51) recently unveiled the newest contribution to Naval Aviation tradition and heritage at their hangar located at NAF Atsugi, Japan on August 23rd, 2010. As quarters came to an end, with family, friends, and members of the local community present, Commanding Officer, CDR Sil A. Perrella directed his squadron’s attention to the rear of the hangar, and the doors opened to unveil the new Warlord 700 with her freshly completed paint scheme. Executive Officer, CDR David Walt read award citations as Skipper Perrella thanked the team and congratulated them on a superb effort and immaculate product. Having returned from its scheduled Planned Maintenance Interval (PMI) depot-level rework only a month earlier, the airframe was a blank canvas for the paint team led by AE2(AW)

Damon Collier. His six-person team took nine days to prepare, detail, and paint the tail cone and aircraft markings with a theme reflecting the pride, culture, and warrior spirit of their Japanbased squadron. AE2 Collier designed a dramatic scheme and lead-painter AM2(AW) Michael Phillips, with only four additional colors, made WL700 one of the best looking birds in the Navy’s H-60 fleet. Rolling the SH-60B into the paint hangar, the team knew the demanding task ahead and understood the intricacy of the design required meticulous attention-to-detail. To prepare the aircraft surface for the first coat of paint, AM2(AW) Phillips supervised as AE2 Joshua Kerley, AM3 (AW) Danny Cacereas, AMAN Tyler Iossi, and AMAN Aaron Hines scuff-sanded and cleaned the tail while applying an overspray-barrier prior to painting. AE2 (AW) Collier then

transferred his art via computer projector and the team began masking design and spraying paint layer-by-layer. To achieve the desired results, over 60 man-hours were dedicated to taping and masking with painting alone requiring an additional 25 hours. The Monday presentation was in full sun, the detail was subtle, the theme prominent, and the extraordinary effort apparent to all. The impressive design wrapped 700’s tail in flat black koi-fish scales with a superimposed image of Musashi holding a trident (as seen in the HSL-51 patch) and twin katana swords down the side. AE2 (AW) Collier explained his inspiration for the design as an attempt to capture Miyamoto Musashi’s character; he was not only a revered warrior, famous for pioneering the two-sword fighting technique, but an esteemed teacher and artist as well. He chose a color scheme Continue on page 64

The Warlords who worked on the tail bird. Photo courtesy of HSL-51 Public Affairs. Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

SQUADRON UPDATES: HSL-51 Continued from page 63

using tactical flat black paint and overlaid it with elements of high gloss color for emphasis and contrast. The koi scales represent perseverance in the face of adversity, and the exposed blade on the side of the aircraft demonstrates the ready ability to project power and embody the Warlord mantra, “Ready to Deploy, Ready to Fight, and Ready to Win.” In true Warlord and FDNF fashion, AE2 Collier and AM2 Phillips along with the rest of the team completed

the project on a compressed timeline and produced stellar results. Warlord 700 has historically been one of the most photographed helicopters in the Navy’s inventory and with the Warlord team’s hard work things are not likely to change. Warlord 700 is AE2 Collier’s fourth tail design for Navy helicopters. He also designed “showbird” tails for HS-8 and HSC-8 aircraft.

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For more information or to pledge a donation, contact NHA Scholarship Fund at www.nhascholarship.org; by mail: P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578; by phone: (619) 435-7139 or FAX: (619) 435-7354

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 departs for Afghanistan Article and Photo by Lance Cpl. Tyler L. Main, USMC

fter six hours of loading three helicopters and two large pallets of supplies, 12 men attached to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 “The Ugly Angels” are damp with sweat. They walk back to Hangar 105 to meet their families. They sit down to eat, their last meal with loved ones before leaving for six months. Everyone is smiling but emotions are hard to read at 20 minutes to take off. This last group from HMH-362 deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Tuesday from Hangar 105. Consisting of five Marines from Marine Air Logistics Squadron and seven from HMH-362, they will join the main body that left recently. Marines and airmen joined forces to load the birds and parts onto a C-17 Globemaster III and a Russian Volga-Dnepr An-124 cargo plane. The Ugly Angels will provide heavy lift assault support of combat

troops, equipment, and supplies, day or night during combat, contingencies or peacetime operations during their deployment. It was hard to say goodbye, even for families who knew what to expect. “Being away from him will be hard,” LCpl. Britt B. Churchill’s wife said with watery eyes. “Knowing the living conditions, worrying about what’s going on and that he’s going to miss the holidays will be, too.” It’s time to go. You can see the peoples moods abruptly change, like someone dropped a brick in the pit of their stomach. Couples exchanged last minute goodbyes as tears left small trails through make-up. “Bye uncle Britt!,” said Lance Cpl. Britt B. Churchill’s stepson as he waved. Churchill spun around with a huge grin and swang his arm as high as he could a few times before disappearing from the stairs into a roaring C-17.

USMC Updates

The Hardest Part Is Goodbye

A long goodbye.

Warhorses Drop In On Recon Parachute Operations Training Article and Photo by LCpl. Steven H. Posy , USMC

he same versatility of the CH-53 Super Stallion to transport equipment, supplies and Marines into remote areas makes it highly effective in modern warfare operations. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465, the Warhorses, assisted 20 Reconnaissance Marines and corpsmen with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., with parachute operations training Sept. 9.

A Marine from 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion lands in an open field after parachuting from a CH-53 with HMH-465. Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Four groups of five Reconnaissance Marines lined the deck of the CH-53 while attached to a static line, and jumped in sequence out of the Super Stallion from altitudes of 1,500 and 2,000 feet. “This training allows the Marines to prepare for insertion into confined areas,” said Capt. Thomas V. McKeon, a CH-53 pilot with HMH-465. “It exposes us to different situations so when we deploy we can accomplish any mission.” The Super Stallion landed in an open field where the Marines were suited up with SF-10 parachutes and helmets, Continue on page 66

USMC UPDATES: HMH-465

Continued from page 65

USCG Updates

waiting to board the helicopter. The pilots and crew chiefs aboard the CH-53 then stepped off the aircraft and joined the jump masters and Marines of 1st Recon Battalion to discuss procedures and safety precautions before the jumpers got on the helicopter. After boarding the CH-53, the aircraft passed over the target landing area multiple times before the wind died down enough for the Marines to safely jump. The training emphasized integrating the two units and following all guidelines to ensure the safety of the jumpers. “We feel confident that we can go to any unit and adhere to directives even if we have not worked with them before,” said Maj. Steven C. Johnson, the director of safety with HMH-465. “This type of training broadens our spectrum of cohesion with other units.” The training ensures that the Marines of HMH-465 are ready to deploy and support all types of airground operations.

Coast Guard rescues Sailor off of Fort Bragg, CA Article and Photo by Lt. Todd Vorenkamp, USCG

t 6:55 p.m. on August 23, 2010, the Coast Guard received a mayday broadcast from the sailing vessel Amica after the 27foot boat lost its rudder and was knocked over by steep waves and gale force winds. After receiving the mayday call, Coast Guard Group Humboldt Bay dispatched a 47motor lifeboat from Station Noyo River, the Coast Guard Cutter Dorado from Crescent City, CA, and an MH-65C helicopter from Air Station Humboldt Bay. The 26-year old skipper of the Amica reported he was alone and had plans to sail from Vancouver, Canada to

San Francisco. He was seven days into his transit from Neah Bay, WA., when he lost his rudder and began drifting. The Coast Guard helicopter reached the Amica at approximately 8 p.m., and established communications with the sailor. “Due to the relatively small size of the vessel and the numerous white capped waves and fairly large swell, it was difficult to spot the vessel, even with an accurate GPS position,” said Lt. Todd Vorenkamp, the helicopter pilot. “Thankfully, the rescue swimmer spotted the sailboat as we flew around the position the Amica had passed.” Fortunately for him, Amica’s captain was prepared for his ocean voyage

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and was equipped with a personal locator beacon, survival suit, GPS, and marine VHF radio,” said Lt. j.g. Brent Hardgrave, co-pilot. “Getting into the survival suit before abandoning his boat into the cold waters of the Pacific was, definitely, the right thing to do.” After the skipper abandoned ship the helicopter moved over him and rescue swimmer Petty Officer 1st Class James Force jumped out of the helicopter into 12-foot seas. Force swam to the Amica’s captain and signaled that the man was ready for hoisting by the helicopter.

USCG UPDATES: USCGAS Humboldt Bay / USCGAS Astoria, OR USCG UPDATE: USCG Humboldt Bay ContinuedThe from flight page 66mechanic, Petty

Officer 2nd Class Eric Syndes, quickly rigged the rescue basket to the helicopterís hoist and lowered the device to Force and the survivor. Then, Sydnes hoisted the sailor into the aircraft and retrieved Force as a 15-foot swell washed over him. After the rescue, the helicopter crew flew to Ukiah Airport where EMS took the sailor into medical custody. The Coast Guard recommends that all mariners undertaking an ocean voyage stock their vessel with safety gear including life jackets, survival suits, a marine VHF radio, GPS, and an emergency beacon.

Photo taken by Lt Todd Vorenkamp, USCG

Coast Guard Aircrew Wins At Canadian Rescue Exercise Article and Photo courtesy of USCGAS Sitka Public Affairs Office

Coast Guard Air Station Sitka crew won the marine rescue event in this year’s Royal Canadian Forces annual search and rescue exercise which was held in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, Sept. 20-24. The crew, which consisted of a pilot, co-pilot, three flight mechanics and two rescue swimmers arrived Sept. 22 in time to participate in the marine rescue event.     The event required the helicopter

crew to perform three precision rescue swimmer deployments including lowering one to a buoy where a time penalty of four minutes would be added if the swimmer failed to touch the buoy before entering the water.     Other requirements in the exercise were to launch the helicopter within 30 minutes of receiving the “go” order, fly one racetrack circuit and come to a hover at the first buoy, freefall deploy one rescue swimmer within 10 feet of the buoy, free-fall deploy one rescue swimmer within 10 feet of the second buoy and come to a 50 foot hover over the third buoy.     The U.S. Coast Guard team finished the event with a time of 3 minutes, 13 seconds, the second place team finished with a time of 8:13 and third place team finished in just over 12 minutes.     “We only brought two rescue

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swimmers with our crew, so we borrowed a Canadian SARTech,” said Lt. Brooks Crawford, co-pilot for the exercise. “In preparation for the exercise we learned the similarities and differences between our operating procedures. The help of the Canadian SARTech was instrumental in our crew being able to participate and win the event.”  The aircrew also competed in a medical triage event and a separate land rescue event. The crew was also scheduled to participate in a precision hoisting exercise but all of Friday’s events were cancelled due to weather.    The search and rescue exercise took place in Whitehorse but was hosted by the 442 Squadron based out of Comox, British Columbia.     In addition to the 442 Squadron’s AW-101 Cormorant helicopter and a DHC5 Buffalo aircraft, other platforms included a CH-146 Griffon helicopter from 424 Squadron in Trenton, Ontario, a U.S. Air Force HC-130 Hercules from Squadron 304 in Portland, Ore. and the Sitka-based MH-60 Jayhawk.

Senior Officer Bookshelf

Managing the Unexpected

Resilient Performance in an Age of Uncertainty Review By ADM J.C. Harvey, USN

K a r l E . We i c k a n d K a t h l e e n M . S u t c l i f f e , M a n a g ing the Unexpected: Resilient Performance in the Age of Uncertainty, (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2007).

recently finished reading Managing The Unexpected, by Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe, a study of how organizations respond to surprise and how leaders can work together to create high reliability organizations (HROs) in which dealing with the unexpected is the norm and are characterized by extraordinary resiliency in the face of significant adverse events.

• • • • •

Bombing of USS Cole 9/11 Attacks on our homeland Hurricane Katrina The Christmas Tsunami in South East Asia The Financial Collapse of 2008-2009

Think of the unexpected events that we’ve had to deal with in the past ten years that have impacted every aspect of our profession and how we operate: And now think of the unexpected events that occur on a smaller scale that we deal with every day. Why is it that some organizations and commands are much more capable than others of maintaining function and structure in the face of drastic change and appear to be able to bounce back in a stronger posture

to tackle the next unexpected crisis? The authors seek to answer that question by studying the ways people and organizations organize for high performance in settings where the potential for error and disaster is overwhelming: emergency medical treatment teams, aircraft operations systems, wild-land firefighting crews, and aircraft carrier flight decks. These organizations have no choice but to operate reliably, under great stress, every day. One common element these HROs have is an uncommon skill at finding ways to stay MINDFUL about what is happening. Developing this institutional MINDFULNESS is important – HROs organize themselves in such a way that they are better able to notice the unexpected event early in the making and either halt its development or quickly develop a containment plan. If the unexpected event breaks through the containment, HROs focus on resilience – bounce back – and swift restoration of system functionality. Another important point made in this book was the increased susceptibility to unexpected events of organizations that are tightly coupled and interactively complex. A tightly coupled system or organization has little slack – actions in one part of the system directly and immediately affect other parts. Organizations dependent upon interconnected technologies or interconnected resource demands (e.g. “just in time” logistics) are tightly coupled and very vulnerable to an unexpected event that will proceed rapidly and irreversibly though the entire system. I found this book to be extremely relevant on several levels and equally

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

applicable to those on sea duty or shore duty, serving in small units or large ones, or in large commands like USFF or smaller commands like our Navy Munitions Command. At the heart of a reliable and resilient organization is a powerful culture built around practices that work. It’s not enough to be knowledgeable of the principles that underlay institutional MINDFULNESS; it is also important that the organization’s culture weaves the principles of MINDFULNESS into values, expectations, and norms that drive local practices. These practices are what enable MINDFUL organizations to hold complex undertakings together or respond rapidly and effectively to unexpected events because they truly understand what is happening. This book is a great read – well-written, relevant to our profession and our operating environment, and thought provoking. I strongly recommend it to you. Admiral J.C. Harvey is the Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command. He maintains the U.S. Fleet Forces Command Blog to encourage meaningful two-way communication (including the occasional book review) throughout the fleet at www.uslfeetforces.blogspot.com.

The REAL Professionals uses The Word “Helo.” Remarks from VADM Allen G. Myers, USN at COMHSCWINGPAC Ball • 21 August 2010 • Sheraton Harbor Island, San Diego, CA.

s many of you know, my aide is a Hornet pilot, and he sent a note home to my wife letting her know about the invitation for tonight. Judy called me and said, “The aide says we’ve been invited to a Chopper Ball – that sounds dangerous…” I told her that a chopper is a woodsman’s ax or a tricked out motorcycle, and that only a television news reader uses the term ‘chopper’ to describe a helicopter. The REAL professionals use the words helo, helicopter or rotary wing … Damn Jet Guys! Thank you, Commodore, for including Judy and me in this wonderful evening. You have been a gracious host. It is clear that a lot of work has gone into making this night enjoyable for everyone. HS-10 – this year’s ball coordinator, and especially LT Pam Stefanski, you have done a terrific job. How about a round of applause? Commanding Officers and Executive Officers, the men and women of Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Pacific… Thank you for inviting me to attend this great event. I’d like to begin by identifying myself as the Air Boss, my name is Al, and I am the son of a helicopter pilot. As the Air Boss I am extremely honored to be here tonight, and as a fighter guy, I must say – you certainly know how to throw a ball! Coming together as a community is an important tradition. While there has

certainly been a display of creativity in some of the squadron centerpieces, I am truly impressed by the camaraderie on display this evening. Your community spirit is proudly shared tonight with spouses, guests and especially your ‘distinguished alumni,’ the men and women who paved the way for success in this unique community, that is so critical to how we operate as a Navy. You may not realize the special connection I feel to the helicopter community. As a young boy my father regaled me with stories of his time in the service as a helicopter test pilot and in combat and today he continues his passion through commercial rotary wing. When I told him this ball would be the first formal social event that Judy and I would attend as the Air Boss, he proudly loaded my email account up with stories and links to amazing historical facts and personal accounts of what it means to serve in rotary wing aviation. And I know he wishes he were here, with us, tonight. The magic of vertical flight has long captured the imagination of visionaries dating back to fourth century China. But it wasn’t until rotary wing luminaries Igor Sikorsky and Frank Piasecki began to work in the field would helicopters be developed into the form and function that we recognize today. During the later years of World War II, the US Army Air Corps began testing an early Sikorsky model helicopter for medical evacuation and other use in Burma, China and India, but it was the Korean War that proved the value of the helicopter to military commanders and earned it acceptance by the general public. Perhaps due in some part to the character of helicopter pilot Lieutenant Harry Brubaker, played by Mickey Rooney, in the 1954 film, The Bridges at Toko Ri. The work of these two

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

Perspective From the Air Boss

It’s Not A “Chopper Ball”

pioneers, Sikorsky and Piasecki, is an important part of Naval Aviation history. They laid the foundation for how we leverage vertical flight today. Instead of relegating the helicopter to a role as a small, aerial observation platform, helicopters took on broad military, commercial and humanitarian applications. Under a Navy contract, Piasecki developed a large-tandem helicopter capable of carrying heavy loads in a large cabin -- the XHRP1, affectionately known as the ‘Flying Banana.’ Piasecki -- whose grandson is a “Legendary Black Knight” with HS-4 -- innovated the tandem rotor design and gave the Navy and Marine Corps the CH-46. Nine of these helicopters, assigned to Marines with the Peleliu ARG, are conducting humanitarian assistance missions right now in Pakistan as a result of the monsoon flooding that has left one-fifth of that nation underwater. • • •

60,000 square miles flooded Tens of thousands of villages submerged and destroyed 20 million people homeless and starving

Sikorsky pioneered the world’s first fully-certified transport helicopter, the HRS, which was widely utilized during the Korean War to transport personnel, cargo, equipment and medevacs, and became the first helicopter to be used in an anti-submarine role. Commanders began to exploit the tremendous capability these platforms provided during Vietnam. Many of the squadrons in this wing can trace their lineage back to these brave aircrews who laid the foundation for helicopter operations today. And while your equipment has modernized, and how you train for and conduct missions is standardized across the Force, you share the same, strong warrior ethos and continue Continue on page 70

Perspective from the AirBoss Continued from page 69

to deserve your reputation for timely, flexible response. Today, you rely on NATOPS, checklists for procedures, and technology that can reliably hover your aircraft for you in any conditions, but consider how those processes and systems were developed. Imagine having to complete a night rescue at sea in hostile waters, from a ship that has no TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation), and just a couple of navigation lights to guide you back onboard. That was the case for a young pilot in 1966 flying a UH-2A Sea Sprite from the USS King operating in the Tonkin Gulf. And he hadn’t even practiced a night rescue when he and his crew were called upon to rescue two Air Force pilots ejecting from an F-4 Phantom about 30 miles away. He described taking off like flying into a black wall. “There was no light in the sky, and it was like you had a blindfold on, no horizon what-so-ever!!” But they climbed out to 1000 ft., picked up their vector to the downed pilots, and spotted a flare. The pilot flew over the flare at 500 feet, downwind, made a 30 degree left turn adjustment and timed himself out bound for 1 minute. He then started a standard rate right turn, that lined him up on the flare and he descended to a 20 foot hover, prior to the flare and the pilot. Remember, there’s no autoapproach, no AFCS (Automatic Flight Control System)… As the pilot tried to position himself over the downed Airman he could sense vertigo and directed his co-pilot to do

nothing but monitor the flight gauges and controls and not attempt to look outside… This was so he wouldn’t fly the helo into the water. Fortunately, they succeeded in getting over the downed pilot, so the crewman could hoist him onboard. The helo then climbed back up to 500 feet and began a search for the other Airman. The Sea Sprite could receive the emergency radio signal but there was no sign of a flare, so they had to navigate by RMI (Radio Magnetic Indicator) toward the downed pilot’s emergency signal. After several approaches with his landing light on, they finally caught the reflection from the reflective tape on the Pilot’s helmet, dropped a flare and repeated the descent pattern to rescue the other Airman. Remember, there’s no autoapproach, no AFCS (Automatic Flight Control System), and it’s pitch black and again they fight vertigo… and they succeed in rescuing the second Airman. Now they return to the ship, and remember, there’s no TACAN for approach, just a red beacon on top of a high mast and a stern light, making the approach as difficult as the rescues. And it was also the pilot’s first night landing on the ship, and the first time anyone had conducted a night landing on that type of ship, USS King (DLG10). The first approach was too fast, but on the second approach the pilot was able to safely land on deck – mission accomplished.

Later, the pilot was able to talk to the rescued Airmen, and asked the second downed pilot whether he had a flare and why he didn’t light it off. The pilot’s response: He really didn’t like helicopters and was saving the flare because he would have preferred to have been rescued by a ship… Damn Jet Guys! The courage of HSC aircrews and your ever-ready, flexible response is your hallmark. It was forged through the ingenuity and flexibility of men like this, and so many others, and it sets the stage for what we celebrate here tonight – and that is the HSC community. You are often the unsung heroes, faithfully at the ready. We rely on you as a weapons system, the shooter providing air support and the primary defense for the fleet, and you provide a diverse set of capabilities on which the operational commander must have and relies. Today, that diversity is on display in the two fleet replacement squadrons, eleven operational Anti-Submarine and Sea Combat Squadrons and a Weapons and Tactics School. Every day you carry out missions across the full spectrum of military operations, and at the same time, some of your squadrons continue the transition to a helicopter concept of operations that streamlines the number of type model series operated by the HS, HSL and HC communities. Now we have two platforms under the umbrella of the HSCWINGPAC. This transition has been executed flawlessly to date and is nearing completion. But this Concept of Operations, the CONOPS, Continue on page 71

NAVAL HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION, INC The Navy Helicopter Association, Inc was founded on 2 November 1971 by the twelve rotary wing pioneers listed below. The bylaws were later formally written and the organization was established as a nonprofit association in the State of California 11 May 1978. In 1987 the bylaws were rewritten, changing the name from Navy to Naval to reflect the close relationship of the rotary wing community in the Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy, from initial training to operating many similar aircraft. NHA is a 501 ( C ) (7) nonprofit association.

NHA Founding Members CAPT A.E. Monahan CAPT M.R. Starr CAPT A.F. Emig Mr. H. Nachlin

CDR H.F. McLinden CDR W. Staight Mr. R. Walloch CDR P.W. Nicholas

CDR D.J. Hayes CAPT C.B. Smiley CAPT J.M. Purtell CDR H.V. Pepper

Objectives of NHA Provide recognition and enhance the prestige of the United States Naval vertical flight community. Promote the use of vertical lift aircraft in the U. S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Rotor Review # 110Keep Summer ‘10 70accomplishments in rotary wing aviation. members informed of new developments and

Perspective from the AirBoss visible display of one of your community’s strengths, is your ability to carry the burden of support to humanitarian aid and disaster response missions. The world watched proudly as you provided relief and comfort to the men and women of Haiti in the form of airlifting more than 3 million pounds of food, water and other supplies, conducting more than 1600 medevacs and ferrying more than 10,000 passengers in support of the mission there. These operations are not planned and not on a long-range calendar, but every time they flare up, you capably demonstrate why American interest and American men and women are “a global force for good.” The world has watched you safely conduct this mission in the Phillippines, in Indonesia, and they are watching again today as the men and women of the USS Peleliu ARG (Amphibious Ready Group) provide critical lift and relief to the millions devastated by the flooding in Pakistan. I want to be very clear – what this community does across the entire spectrum of military operations is impressive and important. I watch carefully the accomplishments of this Wing, and I monitor closely how we will maintain this capability in the future. That future is present in this room tonight. The young pilots and aircrew of today will increase and enhance the professional reputation and capability of this wing, so we must ensure you remain

Continued from page 70

is more than just managing our force structure. It’s about aligning our organization and improving our warfighting capability, because at the end of the day that’s what Naval Aviation is all about. We are adaptable, relevant and lethal when required – HSCWING demonstrates this incredibly well – and you are doing it as we speak here this evening. Your squadrons have detachments deployed now supporting expeditionary missions, like air ambulance, that are saving countless lives. Your detachments spend months operating from Kuwait and Basrah in harsh conditions for the airframes and the air crews, always at the ready to launch a mission that can make the difference between life and death, like they did in the more than 450 MEDEVACs they conducted last year. You currently have pilots and aircrewmen supporting special forces operations in direct action missions. We may never be able to speak freely about them, but we can be certain they have significant impact on the combatant commander’s ability to succeed in all his theater objectives. Your squadrons are integrated with the carrier air wings and provide critical capabilities above and beyond search and rescue. You provide that critical last line of defense for our CSG (Carrier Strike Group). And no strike group can survive without the vital service of vertical replenishment. The days-long evolution of on-loading weapons and supplies - you can be sure - makes a difference. And in perhaps the most publicly

proficient and trained to continue on a positive glide scope, maintaining the diverse capability set you provide. And you can be sure I will be monitoring you, from as close as inside your helos – at the controls, as you complete the planned transitions in our helicopter CONOPs and facilitate our ability to be remain a flexible, relevant and capable Naval Air Force. There has never been a greater time to fly helicopters. Your community contributes to the strength and security of our nation like no other. You – the men and women of Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Pacific – are at the heart of this. The average American may not recognize it, but it is because of you – what you do every day, completing your missions successfully and safely – that we enjoy our way of life. Forward deployed or back at home station, whether you fly the aircraft or you keep them ready to fly, your hard work is recognized and it has great worth. We all share in the proud legacy of 100 years of Naval Aviation success. Our warfighting ethos defines us, and the passion and warrior spirit that inspires all of us is what we truly celebrate tonight. We are all volunteers with a common cause, and I could not be prouder to lead the world’s finest naval aviation force. I am grateful that you serve such an important role on this team. Thanks again for including me in your celebration! God bless each and every one of you, and God Bless Naval Aviation!

The Next Issue of the

focuses on an Aircrewman Perspective All photo and article submissions need to be no later than November 17, 2010 to your Rotor Review community editor or NHA Design Editor. Any further questions, please contact the NHA National Office at 619.435.7139 or rotorrev@ simplyweb.net.

Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

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Rotor Review # 110 Summer ‘10

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