10 Dyess C-130s turn local residents eyes skyward

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. A.C. Eggman
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Many Dyess Airmen and Abilene residents turned their eyes to the sky as a 10-ship formation of C-130 Hercules departed the base to perform a cargo drop near Bronte July 16. 

This was the first time in more than a year the 317th Airlift Group performed a large aircraft formation due to high ops tempo, deployments and other local training requirements. 

"A large-ship formation is what we'll potentially use in future conflicts," said Capt. Robert Cureton, 40th Airlift Squadron C-130 pilot. "It's something we need to be proficient on, but we don't have a lot of opportunities to practice due to deployment schedules and local training." 

Practicing large-scale airdrops allows aircrews to refresh their skills should they be called upon to get large amounts of supplies and equipment to the combat commander on the ground. 

Aircrews from the 39th and 40 Airlift Squadrons rendezvoused in the sky to align into a single-file formation at 12,000 feet before descending to about 5,000 feet to simulate dropping heavy equipment such as Humvees on target. 

The C-130 primarily performs the tactical portion of an airlift mission. The aircraft is capable of operating from rough dirt strips, and is often used for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas. 

After completing the cargo drop at the Bronte drop zone, the formation returned to Dyess to complete an engine running offload of two trucks. In a hostile environment, aircrews must off load equipment within minutes. The engines are kept running while the equipment is offloaded so they can lift off immediately if the aircraft is attacked.
A lot of planning went into the mission and it was a one-team effort, said Captain Cureton. 

Once the offload mission was complete, the final task to conclude the five-hour mission was to douse the pilot of the second C-130 in formation. After more than 21 years of service, Lt. Col. Bret Crenweldge, 317th AG chief of standardization of evaluations, performed one of his final duties. He took the traditional "fini-flight," or his last flight at the base before retiring. 

"You go out and do your job, have fun doing it and usually when you step off the plane, you're greeted with a bucket full of cold water, a hardy hand shake and a congratulations on a distinguished flying career," said Colonel Crenweldge, about the fini-flight tradition. "Be proud of what you do in the Air Force. It's a great job."