Airlift critical in providing U.S. aid to India
AHMADABAD, India (USTCNS) --- Aircrews from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and McChord AFB, Wash., teamed up to fly more than 11,000 miles in 27 hours to move 245,600 pounds of humanitarian supplies donated to India to assist survivors of the Jan. 26 earthquake.
The earthquake, which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale, has left more than a half-million people homeless.
Three C-5 Galaxy aircraft departed Travis for the 16 hour flight with cargo ranging from tents and blankets to forklifts and water trailers. The C-5s headed straight to Andersen AFB, Guam to transfer the cargo to four awaiting C-17s from McChord's 7th Airlift Squadron.
Capt. Donald Johnson, a C-5 pilot from Travis' 21st AS said that once he saw the news on television about the devastation in India, he knew that he would probably be called into action.
"My two sons were sad when I told them I was going away for a while." Johnson said. "My older son is getting older though…I think he realizes how important this is."
Within hours of the C-5s arrival, the cargo was transferred, and the C-17s took off for their 13-hour trip to Ahmadabad, India.
Like Johnson, Maj. Dean Steele, the four C-17's mission commander, also felt that after watching the news of the India earthquake unfold, it would only be a matter of time before he would be called to assist in the relief operations.
"We were just watching TV and I leaned over to my wife and said 'I wonder when I'll be sent over.'"
Steele added that the importance of the mission out-weighed the short notice tasking to participate in this mission. Many of the crews involved with this mission were on alert, or "bravo" status when they were tasked to fly to India, some with as little as 12-hours notice.
"When the mission is done, there is no better feeling when I know that the cargo on my plane is helping people."
When asked about the role of airlift in accomplishing this mission, Capt. Michael Wollet, a C-17 pilot from the 7th AS said that missions like this require a total team effort between the Travis and Charleston airlift wings.
"We may get all of the credit because we are bringing the supplies to where they are needed, but Travis is doing their lion's share of the work."
The airlift of humanitarian relief supplies was also contingent on the support of KC-135 Stratotankers from the 203rd Refueling Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard, for C-5 refueling en route from Travis to Andersen AFB, Guam, and from the 909th Refueling Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, for refueling C-17s over the South China Sea.
The C-17s, the first U.S. aircraft to bring humanitarian supplies to India was part of President Bush's pledge of up to $9 million in aid to the Indian government to help support the country's recovery efforts.
Once in Amadabad, the C-17s were greeted by a tanker airlift control element from the 633rd Air Mobility Support Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Agency for International Development were on hand to receive the cargo. Air Force C-17s shared the ramp with aircraft from several different countries including, Kuwait, Poland, Turkey and Pakistan. (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
The earthquake, which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale, has left more than a half-million people homeless.
Three C-5 Galaxy aircraft departed Travis for the 16 hour flight with cargo ranging from tents and blankets to forklifts and water trailers. The C-5s headed straight to Andersen AFB, Guam to transfer the cargo to four awaiting C-17s from McChord's 7th Airlift Squadron.
Capt. Donald Johnson, a C-5 pilot from Travis' 21st AS said that once he saw the news on television about the devastation in India, he knew that he would probably be called into action.
"My two sons were sad when I told them I was going away for a while." Johnson said. "My older son is getting older though…I think he realizes how important this is."
Within hours of the C-5s arrival, the cargo was transferred, and the C-17s took off for their 13-hour trip to Ahmadabad, India.
Like Johnson, Maj. Dean Steele, the four C-17's mission commander, also felt that after watching the news of the India earthquake unfold, it would only be a matter of time before he would be called to assist in the relief operations.
"We were just watching TV and I leaned over to my wife and said 'I wonder when I'll be sent over.'"
Steele added that the importance of the mission out-weighed the short notice tasking to participate in this mission. Many of the crews involved with this mission were on alert, or "bravo" status when they were tasked to fly to India, some with as little as 12-hours notice.
"When the mission is done, there is no better feeling when I know that the cargo on my plane is helping people."
When asked about the role of airlift in accomplishing this mission, Capt. Michael Wollet, a C-17 pilot from the 7th AS said that missions like this require a total team effort between the Travis and Charleston airlift wings.
"We may get all of the credit because we are bringing the supplies to where they are needed, but Travis is doing their lion's share of the work."
The airlift of humanitarian relief supplies was also contingent on the support of KC-135 Stratotankers from the 203rd Refueling Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard, for C-5 refueling en route from Travis to Andersen AFB, Guam, and from the 909th Refueling Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, for refueling C-17s over the South China Sea.
The C-17s, the first U.S. aircraft to bring humanitarian supplies to India was part of President Bush's pledge of up to $9 million in aid to the Indian government to help support the country's recovery efforts.
Once in Amadabad, the C-17s were greeted by a tanker airlift control element from the 633rd Air Mobility Support Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Agency for International Development were on hand to receive the cargo. Air Force C-17s shared the ramp with aircraft from several different countries including, Kuwait, Poland, Turkey and Pakistan. (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
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