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Hickam crew prepares for AMC Rodeo

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais
  • Air Force News Agency
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) --  Airmen around the world are preparing for the 2007 Air Mobility Command Rodeo scheduled for July, including Hickam Air Force Base members.

This will be the first competition for Hickam AFB 's C-17 Globemaster III crew, which will sport a total force team consisting of members of the active duty 535th Airlift Squadron and the Hawaii Air National Guard's 204th Airlift Squadron.

The AMC Rodeo challenges aircrews from all over the world in every aspect of their airframe's mission. More than 55 U.S. and international teams are slated to participate in the competition to be held July 22 through 28 at McChord AFB, Wash.

The competition focuses on readiness, and features airdrop, air refueling, and other events showcasing security forces, aerial port, maintenance and aeromedical evacuation personnel.

There are 45 U.S. teams, including three from the Marine Corps and one from the Coast Guard, as well as international competitors from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Nineteen other countries are sending observer teams.

In-flight refueling is a critical part of the C-17's strategic airlift capability, and Hickam AFB's C-17 crews will get the chance to see how well they can leverage that capability during the AMC Rodeo.

Pilots normally don't want to see another aircraft traveling dangerously close to their own. But during in-flight refueling, jets have to get very close.

"One of the first lines in the manual for in-flight refueling is 'flying two planes in close proximity is inherently dangerous,'" said Maj Jason Mills, a C-17 pilot with the 535th AS. "We're approximately 35 to 40 feet away from the other plane, so the dynamics -- the wind traveling between the two planes -- changes the way we fly a little bit."

The playing field is not only in the sky. There are ground challenges too, like backing the C-17 to a specified location, and conducting an engines-running onload and offload of cargo. For those tasks, the pilots have to work blindly.

"When I'm back there I'm the eyes for the aircraft commander when we're backing up," said Tech. Sgt. Ansen Lucas, a C-17 loadmaster. "They can't see what's going on behind the aircraft, so I have to relay that information back to them."

"We're going to be graded on accuracy and time, and management of our time, and then executing the events correctly and safely," Major Mills said. "It's a challenge to piece that all into a short sortie, probably a four-hour sortie, and to do it all well and safely in that short time."

What might seem like dangerous and difficult tasks are everyday procedures for these aircrews.