ARCHIVED - A multi-purpose air platform for multiple roles: The CC-130 Hercules and 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron

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News Article / November 20, 2015

By Captain Bettina McCulloch-Drake

Engines on a CC-130 Hercules transport aircraft hum loudly as an aircrew at 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron go through pre-flight checks before their next mission. This time, the mission is not saving lives or supporting fighter operations, but rather annual training during which the crew will support the deployment of personnel and equipment needed for a training exercise.

The efforts of 435 Squadron’s maintenance crews, who fix a few snags during start up, continue to be worthy of that legendary fictional engineer of Star Trek fame, Montgomery “Scotty” Scott.

Master Corporal Peter Miller, a former aviation systems technician and now a flight engineer, had little doubt that the maintenance crews would “get it done”. A 19-year member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, he has spent his entire career working on the CC-130 Hercules. Restricted to the ground in his previous occupation, he now troubleshoots mechanical issues and provides critical mechanical servicing while 435 Squadron’s Hercules are in the air or operating away from their home base at 17 Wing Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Serving alongside loadmasters, pilots and air combat systems officers (formerly known as air navigators and still informally referred to as “navs”), Master Corporal Miller has some insight into the two principal roles assigned to 435 Squadron: air-to-air refuelling (AAR) and search and rescue (SAR). After all, flight engineers, along with loadmasters and air combat systems officers, train to fly in support of both the AAR and SAR roles at 435 Squadron. Pilots, on the other hand, focus on flying in support of either SAR or AAR as they have many necessary qualifications and annual checks to complete for these very different missions.

In general, AAR extends the effective range of aircraft such as the CF-188 Hornet fighter jet. The longer a fighter can stay in the air, the faster it can reach its destination and the more times it can engage a target or otherwise complete its mission.

For AAR crews, the challenges begin with mission planning. “Everything is based on what the fighters need,” says Captain Patrick Ketsman, a squadron pilot. “You have to know where they are coming from and where they will be going.” In a fluid operational environment, it can be a challenge to meet in the right place at the right time.

“Our goal is to be on target and on time,” he says. “The more time we have to wait, the more fuel that is burned and the less fuel we have for the jets.” A strong headwind will also cause more fuel to be burned before jet and tanker meet.

Mission routes have to be carefully planned to ensure the fighters always have an alternate location where they can get fuel if circumstances such as mechanical issues or weather prevent the refuelling from taking place as originally planned. “They [the fighters] cannot be tanker dependent. If they can’t get fuel from us, they need to have another plan in mind like a nearby airport,” addsCaptain Ketsman.

Flight planning for AAR missions outside of Canada can be even more challenging. “Planning a flight over Europe is particularly challenging and requires a great deal of coordination,” saysCaptain Michael Harper another pilot. “Not only are the jets restricted from flying in certain areas but there are places you can’t fuel over. On top of all this, you still need to obtain diplomatic clearances and have your flight plan validated by the appropriate authorities.”

Once planning is complete, the mission can proceed.

While the Hercules pilots fly a steady course, the CF-188 pilots manoeuvre to get into position to approach the tanker’s wings from which the fuel hoses are suspended. Along with the loadmaster, the flight engineer serves as an “observer” as the jets approach for refuelling. In constant communication with the other members of the aircrew, the loadmaster and flight engineer relay information about the position of the other aircraft in relation to the Hercules, the point at which the fuelling aircraft engages the hose, and the point at which the fuelling aircraft has received its allotted amount of fuel and has disengaged. Operating the fuel panels, the flight engineer must pay close attention to the fuel levels.

“One of the biggest in-flight challenges in air-to-air refuelling missions is making sure we have enough fuel to make it home,” says Master Corporal Miller. When configured as a tanker, the Hercules can carry around 38,000 pounds, or just over 17,000 kilograms, of fuel. In just one minute, the Hercules can transfer between 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of fuel. Given this transfer rate, a CF-188 Hornet can refuel in fewer than five minutes depending on how much fuel it needs.

The amount of fuel a Hercules is able to carry at any one time for refuelling can vary. “If we are carrying a cargo in the back of our aircraft, that would affect how much fuel we take on,” says Captain Josef Sliwinski, a 435 Squadron pilot.

While 435 Squadron is tasked to fly AAR and transport resupply missions, its SAR role tends to receive more public attention. And it’s no wonder, given that 435 Squadron, along with 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron out of 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, operates in the largest SAR region in Canada – the Trenton Search and Rescue Region – which covers most of Canada’s landmass, including most of Canada’s Arctic.

Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton receives an average of 3,500 SAR calls a year, but only a fraction of those calls are related to aeronautical SAR, the Canadian Armed Forces’ primary SAR responsibility. Most SAR calls are referred to federal, provincial/territorial or municipal organizations that activate their own emergency response networks to act upon the call in accordance with agreed-upon areas of responsibilities.

The squadron keeps SAR crews on stand-by 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using response postures that are tailored to minimize the response times when distress calls are most likely to occur.

“Two years ago, we were called in to search for an overdue plane whose ELT went off,” recalls Master Corporal Miller. “When we found the plane, it was upside down in the snow. There were no survivors. This mission still sticks out in my mind because my son was the same age as one of the boys that had died in that plane with his father.”

But many SAR missions have a much happier conclusion. On another mission, Master Corporal Miller and his SAR crew responded to a call in Hudson Bay. Within 30 minutes of reaching the search area, the crew found the people and their boat. “We flew 11 hours straight, remaining on station until a boat was able to rescue them the next morning. By being there and marking out their location, I believe we made a difference in their rescue.”

Like AAR missions, SAR missions depend on all crewmembers working as part of a team. Similar to their role during AAR missions, flight engineers ensure that all checklists are strictly adhered to. “You have to listen very carefully to ensure that everything is being done correctly and safely by the entire team,” says Master Corporal Miller.

In the air, flight engineers monitor altitudes and speeds during SAR missions. Hercules aircraft need to fly at lower altitudes to search for aircraft and watercraft in distress and it is important that altitudes are monitored to avoid collisions with structures such as buildings and power lines as well as natural features such as trees and mountains.

Speed is an important consideration in preventing stalls and for deploying SAR technicians and emergency equipment out the back of the aircraft by parachute.

In the cockpit, air combat systems officers guide pilots in executing search patterns that take in account the various probabilities. When SAR technicians are ready to jump, the navigator goes to the back to act as a safety person.

In the back of the aircraft, loadmasters such as Master Corporal David Smart are an active part of the SAR team. “I work with the SAR techs to ensure that they get what they need. If they need food, water, blankets or chainsaws, I ensure it gets to them. If they need to see at night, I drop illumination flares.”

At 435 Squadron, there is one CC-130 Hercules dedicated solely to AAR missions and one dedicated solely to SAR missions. The other squadron aircraft augment these missions and carry out other tasks such as passenger or cargo transport.

While the mechanics of flying a Hercules are basically identical whether the aircraft is being flown in support of AAR or SAR, Captain Ketsman says there are some minor differences.

“In AAR you are flying at higher altitudes, often in high density airspace. In SAR you are flying at a lower level so that you can see the search area. Essentially you end up flying three or four different patterns depending on what the terrain is and what needs to be seen,” he explains.

Depending on the SAR mission, days for SAR crews are typically longer than those of AAR crews. “Individual air-to-air refuelling missions can last as little as two hours from takeoff to landing,” he continues.

“In SAR, your crew day starts from the time you get in to the squadron to the time you land after a mission,” says Master Corporal Miller. “We can go up to 15 hours before we need to swap out SAR crews to allow people to get rest.”

While SAR crew hours may seem daunting, AAR crews can experience long days as well. “In one week during Exercise Cougar South, my crew flew three missions a day,” says Captain Sliwinski.

“In that one week we transferred approximately 500,000 pounds [226 metric tonnes] of fuel.”

Captain McCulloch-Drake is a public affairs officer at 17 Wing Winnipeg, Manitoba, where 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron is located.

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