Learning To Land Chinooks And Blackhawks At Sea
U.S. Army pilots with Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-B), completed
annual deck landing qualifications for their CH-47 Chinook and
UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters on board amphibious dock-landing ship
USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), Feb. 12-15. Gunston Hall is on a
scheduled deployment to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area
of responsibility supporting Amphibious Southern Partnership
Station 2011 (A-SPS 11).
The A-SPS 11 mission is designed to foster friendly, mutual
cooperation and understanding between participating regional, civil
and maritime services in Central America and the Caribbean Basin.
JTF-B, based in Soto Cano, Honduras, supports U.S. interests in
Central America through regional cooperative security, supporting
counter-drug strategy, exercising combined forces, disaster relief
and humanitarian/civic assistance.
"We try to re-certify every four to six months," said Army Chief
Warrant Officer Shawn Fogarty, JTF-B battalion tactical operations
officer. "This qualification enhances our capability to work with
host nations and share through partnerships."
The certification consisted of two days of JTF-B flight deck
landing and liftoff maneuvers with Gunston Hall flight crew members
assisting with signaling, wheel chocks and securing the aircraft to
the deck with chains. "The qualifications and trainings went really
well," said Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Krista N. Park, a landing
signalman aboard Gunston Hall. "There was great teamwork between
the pilots and the landing crew; it was very smooth."
More than 25 JTF-B pilots completed six consecutive bounces,
which are landings, liftoffs, circling then repeating the process.
It takes approximately 30 minutes for each pilot to complete the
deck-landing qualification. Working together alongside partner
nation's civil and military services, sharing ideas and
information, A-SPS11 aims to improve interoperability and enhance
regional maritime security. "This qualification is instrumental to
the region," said Fogarty. "Especially in missions that are
designed to go out and share with partner nations. This gives us
the tools to do the job."
"This is an outstanding training opportunity for the aircrew and
our flight deck personnel on board Gunston Hall," said Capt. John
Meier, USS Gunston Hall commanding officer. "It's really a
symbiotic relationship, where we provide a challenging at-sea
landing platform that truly tests the pilot's skills, and the JTF-B
crews help us to maintain our qualifications, while bringing us
material support and mail. As a ship we rarely have the opportunity
to operate with Army helicopters, so having the CH-47s and the
UH-60s operate on our flight deck, gives us a broader experience
base than the standard Navy helicopter support missions."