Rescue wing crew chiefs crank it up in Canada
By Capt. Cathleen Snow, 920th Rescue Wing
/ Published September 25, 2009
GANDER, Newfoundland --
Nearly two dozen combat rescue crew chiefs kept busy readying and maintaining two 920th Rescue Wing aircraft in Canada Search and Rescue Exercise 09. The exercise ran Sept. 22-25 and staged out of the Royal Canadian Air Force's 9 Wing here.
The HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter and the fixed-wing HC-130P/N Hercules work as a team on rescue missions flown by Air Force Reserve Command's 920th RQW from Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.
The maintenance work when the Pave Hawk had to be packed and folded to fit inside an Air Force C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft. The helicopter's rotors span 53 feet 7 inches. To fit in the C-5, the rotors are layered on top of one another using special tools, and the helicopter aircraft is fastened down during transport. The lengthy process repeated in reverse when the C-5 arrived in Newfoundland. After the helicopter was unpacked, the crew chiefs performed engine and operational checks.
"You can experience rescue, you can feel it. It gets in your blood," said Pave Hawk crew chief Tech Sgt. Enrique Barnes, who describes work on the aircraft as easy, "just another day's work."
The maintenance crews keep the wrenches turning continually. Their work is crucial because rescue missions have the potential to save lives.
The HC-130P/N is an extended-range search and rescue version of the Hercules transport aircraft. In addition to participating in the exercise, the aircraft provided airlift for wing Airmen who will execute the exercises to include the pararescuemen who conduct personal recovery operations from the HH-60G and HC-130P/N. Life support personnel prepare equipment and gear for the pararescuemen, pilots and other aircrew members.
More than 50 of the Patrick Airmen joined nearly 400 Canadian and international forces to participate in the exercise in a region that's had its share of SAR activity. It was an opportunity for the Americans to share their SAR experiences with Canadians and others taking part in the exercise.