Sun, Sep 16, 2012
Tanker Aircraft Acts As 'Contingency' For The Tilt-Rotors
Marines with Detachment A, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, primarily spend their day patrolling the skies of Afghanistan as an in-flight gas station for other aircraft. However, a five-man crew successfully completed a somewhat different mission on September 6. The KC-130J team spent the morning escorting four MV-22 Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 from Helmand province, Afghanistan, to the USS Iwo Jima in the Arabian Sea.
“Our primary mission in Afghanistan is aerial refueling,” said Capt. G. O. Ryberg, a pilot with VMGR-352. “But today, we were a contingency for the Ospreys.”
The KC-130 aircraft is able to carry several thousand gallons of fuel while in flight. Additionally, with multiple radios, the plane is able to act as an onscene commander in the event an aircraft makes an emergency landing. Although the Ospreys did not require aerial refueling on their movement from Afghanistan to the ship, having the VMGR-352 aircraft leading the way allowed them to rest easy during the flight, which lasted about 90 minutes.
During the flight, Lance Cpls. Christopher Jones and Jamie Nadeau were the pilots’ eyes in the rear of the plane. The Marines ensured the Ospreys maintained enough separation and had no obvious mechanical issues. “These guys are instrumental,” said Capt. John Brampton, a pilot with VMGR-352 “On these flights, they sit in the window and make sure there is not excessive closure. It’s a very important job.”
“I haven’t done a mission like this before,” said Jones. “This was pretty cool. It’s always nice to see different sights.”
After ensuring the Ospreys made it to the USS Iwo Jima, the KC-130J made a quick turn and headed back to Camp Bastion to prepare for another day of supporting Regional Command Southwest. Doing the escort mission was a nice change of pace for the crew, and it was completed flawlessly. “The mission went extremely well,” Ryberg said. “The transit south was easy, and linking up with the Ospreys went very smooth. Overall, it was a great day.”
ANN Salutes Sgt. John Jackson, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352.
(Photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps)
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]
Airbus Racer Helicopter Demonstrator First Flight Part of Clean Sky 2 Initiative
See All