McChord Airmen head for 'the ice' as Operation Deep Freeze season kicks off

by Staff Sgt. Eric Burks, 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFNS) -- Thirty-seven McChord Air Force Base Airmen left Sept. 24 in a C-17 Globemaster III loaded with more than 90,000 pounds of cargo destined for Antarctica to begin another season of Operation Deep Freeze.

The 2009-2010 season of Operation Deep Freeze, the Defense Department's support of the U.S. Antarctic Program and the National Science Foundation, officially kicks off Sept. 26 and will be one of the most robust to date, as more than 60 missions are projected.

"The number of C-17 missions to Antarctica will increase this season by approximately 25 percent as compared to last season when work on the Pegasus Ice Runway necessitated a brief mission pause," said Lt. Col. Walt Clark, the lead Operation Deep Freeze planner at 13th Air Force from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

The missions will build upon August's successful winter fly-in, and a historic 2008-2009 season that included the first-ever night-vision goggle landing on the Antarctic continent and groundbreaking high-altitude airdrops to remote areas such as the Antarctic Gamburtsev Mountain Province.

This season also marks the 10th year C-17s have supported the mission. The first McChord AFB C-17 touched down on the ice runway outside McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Oct. 15, 1999. In previous missions from McChord AFB , Antarctic flights were completed in the C-141 Starlifter, which had supported Deep Freeze operations since 1966.

"The C-17 has revolutionized how we do business down there," said Lt. Col. Robert Wellington, the 62nd Operations Group deputy commander and 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron commander, working for Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica. "We can better satisfy user requirements. We're leaner, more efficient and use fewer resources.

"But we couldn't do that without the great teamwork of the 446th and 62nd airlift wings and their tenant units," said Colonel Wellington, an Operation Deep Freeze veteran who has flown multiple missions during previous seasons.

As the new 304th EAS commander, the colonel aims to continue the McChord AFB tradition of support to the program, both on and off "the ice."

"Because we have such great Airmen involved, operations really take care of themselves. The biggest challenge will be continuing the strong relationships my predecessor established, both within the program and in the community," Colonel Wellington said.

The first few flights into McMurdo Station, Antarctica, will carry support personnel, after those initial flights they will unload supplies required for McMurdo's scientific research mission, said Lt. Col. J.W. Smith, the 313th Airlift Squadron assistant operations officer and 304th EAS directing officer.

"We're ramping up for the beginning of the Antarctic exploration season," Colonel Smith said. "We'll be bringing McMurdo out of winter hibernation."

Deep Freeze is unlike any other U.S. military operation -- it's possibly the military's most difficult peacetime mission due to the harsh Antarctic environment, according to 13th Air Force officials. The U.S. military is uniquely equipped and trained to operate in such an austere environment and has therefore provided support to the U.S. Antarctic Program since 1955.

Airlift for Operation Deep Freeze involves active-duty and Reserve C-17 support from McChord AFB and New York Air National Guard LC-130 Hercules aircraft from Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, N.Y.

Alaska-based aircraft fly south as precaution to volcano

For my Pacific Northwest readers, you have visitors in the area from Alaska.



Airmen at McChord Air Force Base are receiving a precautionary redeployment of Air Force aircraft from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The aircraft and approximately 200 Airmen who operate and maintain them are being temporarily relocated due to increased activity associated with Mount Redoubt, a volcano located approximately 100-miles southwest of Elmendorf AFB.

Three Air Force Reserve Command C-130J Hercules aircraft on assignment from Mississippi to Alaska relocated to McChord Jan. 31; three Pacific Air Forces C-17 Globemaster IIIs will arrive at McChord Feb. 2. Other aircraft may arrive within the next 24 to 48 hours. McChord leadership anticipates the redeployment to last two to four weeks at a minimum.

McChord's own C-17 strategic airlift mission makes the base ideally suited to host the relocated aircraft and allows Elmendorf Airmen to continue to meet mission and training requirements.

"Our ability to quickly receive additional airpower on short notice and continue to support the nation's worldwide strategic airlift requirements is a capability long-associated with McChord," said Col. Jeffrey Stephenson, McChord's 62nd Airlift Wing commander. "We've supported evacuations in the past, and we will gladly support our fellow Airmen from Elmendorf as long as they need us."

10 Globemaster IIIs fly in formation over Washington state

Several C-17 Globemaster III's wait on the flightline prior to launching as part of a 10-ship formation training exercise Dec. 20 at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. Key players included the 62nd Airlift Wing and 446th Maintenance Group, which will generate, launch and recover the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force illustration/Abner Guzman)

by Tyler Hemstreet
12/21/2006 - MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFPN) -- Like an iron alligator in the sky, a band of 10 C-17 Globemaster IIIs flew in formation Dec. 21 from Puget Sound to eastern Washington .

Taking off in five-minute intervals from McChord AFB, C-17s with aircrews from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings rendezvoused in the sky to align into a single file formation before performing an airdrop over a site near Moses Lake.

The objective of the exercise was to test all the organizations and different aspects of the mission that have to come together to facilitate launching, executing and recovering a large formation of C-17s in a short period of time, said Lt. Col. Gregory Schwartz the 8th Airlift Squadron and mission commander.

"It's a great chance to get some valuable training and test our abilities to work together to meet a significant mission requirement," Colonel Schwartz said.

Flying a mere 2,000 feet between each plane, the 10-ship exercise added a level of difficulty pilots don't get when they are just simulating flying in routine, three-ship formations, Colonel Schwartz said.

The yearly exercise also enlisted the work of the 62nd and 446th Maintenance Groups members, who generated, launched and recovered the aircraft; 62nd Aerial Port Squadron members who built and recovered the platforms for the airdrop portion of the mission; and from 62nd Logistics Readiness Squadron members who supplied the transportation and fuel for the aircraft.

The 62nd Maintenance Group started planning for the operation a month ahead of time calling in reinforcements to help prepare all the jets, said Lt. Col. Thomas Jackson the deputy group commander of the 62nd Maintenance Group.

Several maintenance training crews were pulled from their programs to get "real, live hands-on training" and a team from the 373rd Training Detachment Squadron even pitched in, Colonel Jackson said.

"It's probably the biggest undertaking we've had since the Operational Readiness Inspection," Colonel Jackson said.

While the exercise utilized the same training drop zones as usual for aircrews, the large formation presented a unique opportunity for pilots, said Col. Damon Booth the commander of the 62nd Operations Group.

"It's routine training, just more complex because there are that many planes in the air at one time," Colonel Booth said. "We're trying to exercise the formation because it could be something we are required to do."