Alive and Kicking

Yep, it's me. I'll slip in here for a moment to pass along a few photos and maybe even a neat-o video! Don't get too excited.

This is my 5th trip to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and while a few little things around the base have changed since 2007, the essence of the place is mostly the same. So, to me, it's hard to view this place as anything other than ordinary. It's still the same 3-day routine: mission plan, fly, recover. Obviously it's much busier than it seems when written that way, but that's what it boils down to. On the recovery day I often have SOF duty (Supervisor of Flying), wherein I report to the airbase control tower and supervise the hornet's nest of flying (just like the job title says) for 6-8 hours-- monitoring all the aircraft launches and recoveries (about 1 every 3 minutes), extra protocols for distinguished visitors (they come here a LOT) like General Petraeus, way too many other generals, and various political types and the occasional celebrity. If there is an in-flight emergency I'm expected to coordinate that as well, turning into an octopus and calling around 8 organizations as fast as possible on myriad communcation devices while keeping radio contact with the aircraft and talking them in. If bad weather rolls in and dozens of aircraft have to divert to other bases, guess what? I coordinate all that too. Bottom line: It's busy and it helps me appreciate my primary duty of simply flying an airplane for 12 hours.


Ahhhhh, relaxing in the solitude of flying an airplane with 23 other people. Ok, not much solitude.

The rest of my time consists of the usual functional stuff, exercizing, studying, occasionally doing things with my crew (we spend 12 hours trapped in a tube together already, it's not like we're starving to be in each other's company even more). I am, however, starving to be in the company of my dear wife and kids. I miss them terribly. To say I suffer without them would be accurate, if understated. I get my 15 minute call with Jenn about 4 times a week, and the occasional Skype with the kids, when we can arrange it and I can get a decent enough wireless signal. It's nice that the latter is even possible (as of last year), but it's still frustratingly inconsisent and slow.

When my schedule permits it, I'm able to go to my own church out here as well on Sunday. With a base population approaching 10,000, there are a fair number of LDS servicemembers. Next week I start another masters class, because I guess there's a little bit of extra room left to cram stuff into.

Okay, it's picture time. I posted many of these to Facebook recently, but not everyone that can access this blog has seen them. (All of these should be 'clickable' to view larger if desired)

Yep, that thar's an aeroplane. Noisy, smelly, and really COOL!!! This shot is taken just after finishing air refueling 75,000 pounds (11,200 gallons) of gas, while still over Pakistan.

Picture taken at altitude of 24,000 feet, with a peak higher than the aircraft, and less than 20 miles off the nose (just prior to a turn).

Another view to the east of the prior photo. Mountains as far as the eye can see...

Can you see the crew entry chute open with ladder extended? It's just behind and below where I sit. The cargo door is to the right (closed).

Engines started, the crew chief's final action is to pull the yellow chocks away from the nose gear wheels.

Then the marshaller gets us on our merry way.

Taking gas this time from a giant KC-10, with a B-1 bomber waiting its turn off our right wing.

Off base at a local mall. Anyone been to Caeser's Palace in Vegas? It's fairly similar in building design; lots of high-end shops but without all the gambling and smut.

Rabbits dyed for Easter. Yep, they just lay there. Wacky.


And finally, as promised, a little video. The copilot and I alternate taking off and landing every sortie (I do one, he does the other). This was my landing a few days ago on 30 April. Had to shorten it to 1 minute due to its size, and Blogger unfortunately makes it smaller, but see if you can spot the C-17 and C-130 on short final.