# Risks high for Canada's air force in Afghanistan



## GAP (16 Dec 2006)

Risks high for Canada's air force in Afghanistan
Updated Fri. Dec. 15 2006 9:46 AM ET Murray Oliver, CTV News
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Many Canadian and Coalition troops on the ground in southern Afghanistan are enduring regular attacks from Taliban fighters. At the same time, the soldiers are also battling Afghanistan's ferocious climate. Some units are virtually snow-bound. Re-supply convoys risk nearly impassable roads that are ideal for ambushes.

And so, in the sky, the men and women of Canada's air force frequently wage their own battles to keep the combat troops supplied with food and ammunition. On this frosty December morning, their frontline is a massive grey Hercules C130 H aircraft commanded by Captain Blair McArthur of Alberta. 

Somewhere in the mountains is an isolated unit of American soldiers. Captain McArthur is no-nonsense as he preps his seven-person crew for the upcoming flight. "These guys [the Americans] aren't quite down to their last bean and last bullet," McArthur says, "but almost." 

The mission seems straightforward: Fly over the American position and air-drop vital supplies to the troops below. But the weather is bad, the area covered by dense cloud. In the surrounding hills are Taliban fighters carrying small arms and -- possibly -- portable anti-aircraft missiles.

The plane is fully loaded, the enormous pallets jammed into the hold are strapped down. To avoid enemy fire, the crew will be doing "tactical flying": as an indication of the violent maneuvers ahead, the crew chief hands one passenger a stack of air-sickness bags. Taped to the roof of the cockpit is a detailed document entitled, "crash-landing checklist." 
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## Mithras (16 Dec 2006)

Awesome article.



> This is an aircraft nearly the size of a Boeing 737 thundering along a narrow pass between soaring peaks. For a passenger, it's like racing in an Air Canada flight between the skyscrapers on Bay Street in downtown Toronto.



I would probably need a new pair of pants after that.


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## gaspasser (16 Dec 2006)

Cool, flying the way it was meant to be. 
And pinpoint accuracy for the Loadie to release.  Like a bombardier dropping bombs.  And a tthe speeds they are flying, it might be hard to get an accurate hit.  Would say more, but OPSEC>
Cheers.


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## midget-boyd91 (16 Dec 2006)

Well... what can I say? We've got some of the best trained and most experienced pilots and crews flying Hercs in the world.
If they felt like it, they could probably take a little leak out the back and fill a cup on the ground below  :cheers:

60


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## geo (16 Dec 2006)

Hours of monotonous flying.  Add minutes of exilerating adrenaline pumpin seat of the pants flying............. Priceless!!!


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## Globesmasher (17 Dec 2006)

BYT Driver said:
			
		

> And pinpoint accuracy for the Loadie to release.



It's the "Nav" that calls the "Green On" based on his CARP (Computed Air Release Point) for the load being dropped.

But, this IS what it's all about ...... doing whatever it takes to support the green guys on the ground in the thick of it.


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## gaspasser (17 Dec 2006)

Globesmasher said:
			
		

> It's the "Nav" that calls the "Green On" based on his CARP (Computed Air Release Point) for the load being dropped.
> 
> But, this IS what it's all about ...... doing whatever it takes to support the green guys on the ground in the thick of it.


You got it.  The Loadie still let's 'er go.  Then again, what do I know, I just fill 'em up.    
_"If you can't be and athlete, you may as well be an athletic supporter"--Red Green_


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