Aerial spray mission ends; crews return to Youngstown

Published June 7, 2010

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- C-130 aircraft and crews returned to Youngstown Air Reserve Station June 4 from the Gulf of Mexico.

Youngstown's 910th Airlift Wing sent two specially equipped transport planes and 60 reservists to Stennis International Airport, Miss., May 1 to support cleaning up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

While they were on the gulf coast, the aircrews flew 92 sorties, spraying 30,000 acres with nearly 149,000 gallons of aerial spray dispersant.

Rear Adm. Mary Landry, federal on-scene coordinator for the BP oil spill response, signed a memo releasing the Air Force Reserve planes and people from the spray mission.

Under a transition plan, civilian planes are taking over delivering oil dispersant in the gulf waters. The plan complies with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of September 2005.

Under the law, the United States should "avoid competing commercially with the private sector" and should "rely on commercial sources to supply the goods and services needed by the department."

The Deepwater Horizon mission was the first time the Department of Defense used the oil dispersing capability of its large-area, fixed-wing aerial spray program in an actual spill of national significance.

"We're very proud to have supported this cleanup effort," said Col. Fritz Linsenmeyer, 910th AW commander. "Our Airmen have been training for this type of response, and we are pleased to have been able to utilize their skills and capabilities to help make a difference."

To monitor the effectiveness of the spray operations, 910th AW Airmen worked closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. NOAA has scientific personnel in Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technology teams. These teams are on-site, constantly monitoring the effectiveness of the applied oil dispersants.

For nearly two decades, the 910th AW has participated in oil-spill cleanup exercises with the Coast Guard in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. These exercises and a memorandum of understanding between the Coast Guard and the aerial spray unit helped provide seamless response coordination.

In addition to oil dispersion, the 910th AW's aerial spray capability is designed to control or eradicate insect populations to prevent the spread of disease and to provide large-scale vegetation control on DOD installations.

Emergency response is nothing new for the 910th AW aerial spray operations. In 2005 and 2008, wing Airmen flew aerial mosquito and filth fly control missions after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike. These efforts proved highly effective, and the positive effects of these applications were recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During Deepwater Horizon operations, the 910th AW crews were under the tactical control of Air Forces Northern Commander Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean, who serves as the joint forces air component commander for U.S. Northern Command.