Flying With the Arctic Eagles

The US Army maintains a large presence in Alaska, with large areas given over to military use and training. These areas include Fort Richardson near Anchorage and Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks. Fort Richardson is adjacent to Elmendorf AFB on the outskirts of Anchorage, and is home to a variety of units, including infantry, cavalry and artillery, both regular Army and Army National Guard. Part of the massive Fort Richardson complex is a small airfield known as Bryant Field AHP, home to the 2-207th Air Cavalry Regiment of the US Army National Guard.

The 2-207th Air Cavalry are part of the Alaska Army Guard, and operate a variety of aircraft in several detached locations, with the home base being Bryant Field. Currently Bryant is home to UH-60L Blackhawk helicopters and Shorts C-23 Sherpa light transport aircraft.

The unit has a long association with Alaska, and formerly operated helicopters which included the CH-54 Tarhe (Skycrane) and the ubiquitous UH-1 Iroquis, or more popularly the “Huey”. The CH-54s left in the early 1990s, and the UH-1s in the late 1990s, and the unit re-equipped with its current types.

We had arranged to visit Fort Bryant to photograph the aircraft of the 2-207th, and on the morning of the 11 Apr, we met up with our escort, from the Army Public Affairs Office, who led us to the HQ of the 2-207th, where we were introduced to CWO Bryan Keese, the Operations Officer.

CWO Keese showed us around one of the unit's Blackhawk helicopters, parked outside in the morning sunshine, and told us about the role of the unit and some of their current commitments. Along with a general army liason role in Alaska, the unit also undertakes limited SAR, and also once a year takes part in Operation Arctic Care. This involves airlifting doctors and dentists to some of the most remote communities in Alaska, in order that the residents can gain access to regular medical and dental services.

In addition to their commitments within Alaska, the unit also has crews in operational theatres in the Middle East and Afghanistan, in common with most units in the ArNG. They also have crews and aircraft based in Arizona, and involved in the battle against illegal immigration along the US-Mexican border. Despite these commitments, several aircraft were photographed in the unit's hangar, undergoing maintenance away from the harsh Alaskan weather.

During the course of our tour of the helicopter, CWO Keese casually asked us if we fancied going flying! We soon established that he wasn’t, in fact, joking, and our escort kindly arranged the appropriate paperwork for us. In the meantime, it was on to look at the unit's Shorts C-23 Sherpas, better known as the civilian Shorts 330, or merely the “Shed”.

The Shorts 330 is a rarity in Europe these days, so it was a pleasure to see and photograph 2 very smart US Army versions, especially as we were able to watch one of them start up and taxi out for a training sortie.

The C-23 is used as an efficient way of transporting non-time critical freight and passengers, and US Army examples see a good deal of use in operational theatres at the moment, with their useful load carrying ability and good performance.

After viewing the C-23s, we moved on to photograph the unit’s preserved CH-54 Tarhe. The aircraft is planned to be restored in the future - apparently Erickson Air-Crane who refurbish ex-Army CH-54s for the civilian sector would like to come and remove some parts from the aircraft, and are prepared to reassemble and restore the aircraft for display in return. It will make a great display piece, alongside the impressively mounted UH-1 outside the operations block.

Next it was time to go flying! We returned to the operations building, got kitted out with headsets, met our crew and stepped out to the aircraft - we were to fly in the aircraft we had photographed on the ramp earlier. With only very limited experience of helicopter flying before (10 minutes from Nice to Monaco on a Squirrel), for me, the whole experience was fascinating from start to finish. After a pragmatic and practical safety talk from one of the pilots, we strapped into the canvas seats while the crew prepared for departure. Our engineer, Sgt Rothery donned what I think could be the coolest helmet I have ever seen, and supervised the start-up sequence from the ramp, before jumping aboard for our departure.

We departed up to the North of Anchorage and headed for the Alaska Range mountains at medium level. As the mountains rose up to meet us, we dropped lower to view the incredible landscape formed by the glaciers in the mountains.

Our route then took us out towards the sea, and the shipping lanes, before heading back to Bryant Field. The final segment of the flight was conducted at low level and high speed (our ride was reputed to be one of the fastest in the unit!) which was an exhilarating experience, quite unlike any flying I had ever done before.

We landed back at Bryant Field, and disembarked the helo, with all of us beaming from ear to ear - in one case mostly at the joy of being back on the ground! After photos with the crew, it was time to leave.
I am always particularly interested in watching other professional aviators from different backgrounds, to see similarities and differences in the way they operate - one can always learn a thing or 2 - and it was a pleasure to watch such a professional crew working together. The crew demonstrated a relaxed, flexible approach, backed up by a professional attitude, and unbelievable levels of capacity, and personified the level of training and skill required in the ArNG.

This was really a superb visit, and the undoubted highlight of the trip. Everyone concerned made a huge effort to ensure we had an unforgettable morning, and I really can’t thank them enough. Suffice to say, sincerest thanks to Sgt Karina Turner (Alaska National Guard Public Affairs Office), CWO Bryan Keese (Operations Officer 2-207th Air Cavalry Reg), Sgt Eric Rothery, and our UH-60 flight crew.

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