Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Herschel Talley | Canadian Armed Forces guide the CH-47 Chinook helicopter of Company B, 1-376th...... read more read more
(Wainwright, Alberta)- A small group of Company B, 1st-376th Aviation Regiment’s Soldiers travelled to Wainwright, Alberta Canada, in May with two of their CH-47 Chinook helicopters in support of Exercise Maple Resolve 2018.
The unit is based in Grand Island, Nebraska, left May 13, 2018 and begin the 11 hour flight to Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, Canada. Once on ground, the unit shifted into its mission of tactical mission planning, in-fill and ex-fill exercises, along with shipload operations. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brad Kuhn of Hemingford, Nebraska was the officer in command of Company B during the unit’s time in Canada and said the exercise was a great force multiplier.
“It helped us prepare for multiple missions sets on our upcoming deployment,” Kuhn said.
The CH-47 Chinooks began working with troops from Canada, United Kingdom and United States Marines, and practiced their tactical infiltration and air assaults during the exercise. For some like Spc. Alec Record, a CH-47 helicopter repairer and a first time crew chief, this is a large jump into the mission of Bravo Company, while still learning and working with the other forces for the first time.
“It is nice to work with other countries and good to see other perspectives, some of the subtle differences and to see how similar we are,” Record said. “It’s the same humor, different uniforms. The military humor has no borders.”
Company B had the opportunity to and help train Canadian soldiers in sling load exercises. Sling load exercises typically involve concrete barriers being hooked to the underside of the Chinook aircraft for practice. The real-world use of this tactic can involve carrying a water bladder to fight fires, fuel bladders, vehicles and in this case, supplies to troops in the field.
Staff Sgt. Troy Perkins was the flight engineer on this mission. Perkins is currently assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) of the 1st-376th Aviation Regiment, but was previously assigned to Company B for 11 years.
“Sling loads are kind of the bread and butter of the Chinooks, so we try to spend as much time on them as we can,” Perkins said. “We spend enough time doing it by ourselves. We actually like to go out and support someone else doing them, it’s always fun.”
Perkins responsibility as the flight engineer is a twofold mission between a crew chief and load master. The crew chief position is responsible for the safety of the aircraft and its personnel, while the load master is responsible for the cargo being hauled or sling loaded. Before the load can be lifted, the flight engineer inspects the load and insures everything is rigged to specifications according to the rigger’s manual.
“The aircraft has ultimate authority over the load, whether to take it or not,” Perkins said.
Once the load has been fastened to the underside of the chinook, the helicopter slowly rises. Slack is taken out of the ropes and the load is lifted approximately 10 feet off the ground. The torque of the load is calculated and measured by the flight engineer and pilot as the helicopter hovers in position until the crew deems the load safe for travel.
Working with Perkins on the ground, Canadian Armed Forces practiced their abilities to sling load by hooking the load to the helicopter from the ground.
“It’s always good when you can put them into application to help someone else too. It was a great opportunity to help them (Canadians) out,” Perkins said.
Chief Kuhn echoed that sentiment and was pleased with the effort that Bravo Company did with the Canadian Forces.
“We just did what we normally do, no matter what forces were working with,” Kuhn said.
More than 150 Soldiers from the Nebraska Army National Guard’s 1st-376th Aviation Regiment traveled to Camp Wainwright in Alberta, Canada, May 8-24, for Exercise Maple Resolve, the Canadian Army’s most comprehensive annual training even designed for any contingency operation. This year’s Maple Resolve included approximately 6,000 service members from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and France.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2023 11:28 |
| Story ID: | 444107 |
| Location: | WAINWRIGHT, ALBERTA, CA |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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