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"ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (May 22, 2012) -- The signature sound of the tandem-rotored Chinook was multiplied by four as Sortie 2 took to the early morning air over Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga.
The new helicopters had been flown to the airfield just a couple of weeks earlier in mid-March from the Boeing production facility in Philadelphia. And though new, the helicopters were far from shiny; their mid-toned, flat green paint was well-designed to offer concealment against terrains in theater operations where most F models would fly.
It was now April, and the Chinooks were departing on what would likely be the longest mission they'd likely ever be tasked to do; fly from the eastern seaboard of the southern U.S. all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. Once in Alaska, the new F models would be turned over to the aviators of the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.
The mission sounded easy enough.
But the nearly 3,400 nautical mile route to Alaska would take almost two weeks with multiple fuel stops and overnight breaks for the crews along the way. They would be trailing in the wake of Sortie 1, also consisting of four new F models and a combined crew of about 22, by just a day. The sorties were separated by at least a day so that some of the smaller airfields used along the way would not be overly taxed in terms of fueling capabilities or ramp parking spaces.
Four more CH-47 F model Chinooks would follow a couple of weeks later to comprise Sortie 3 for a total of 12 new aircraft delivered to the 16th CAB in Fairbanks.
The route was lengthy and well-planned out.
The new F models and their crews would fly from Savannah, Ga., to St. Louis then on to Rapid City, S.D., with a quick stop for fuel and lunch at Campbell Army Airfield at Fort Campbell, Ky. From Rapid City, the route continued north to Helena, Mont., and, from Helena, north across the Canadian border to Edmonton in Alberta. From there, stops included Fort Nelson in northern British Columbia, a brief fuel stop at Whitehorse in the Yukon, and, finally, the immense state of Alaska and the final destination of Fairbanks. "
"ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (May 22, 2012) -- The signature sound of the tandem-rotored Chinook was multiplied by four as Sortie 2 took to the early morning air over Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga.
The new helicopters had been flown to the airfield just a couple of weeks earlier in mid-March from the Boeing production facility in Philadelphia. And though new, the helicopters were far from shiny; their mid-toned, flat green paint was well-designed to offer concealment against terrains in theater operations where most F models would fly.
It was now April, and the Chinooks were departing on what would likely be the longest mission they'd likely ever be tasked to do; fly from the eastern seaboard of the southern U.S. all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. Once in Alaska, the new F models would be turned over to the aviators of the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.
The mission sounded easy enough.
But the nearly 3,400 nautical mile route to Alaska would take almost two weeks with multiple fuel stops and overnight breaks for the crews along the way. They would be trailing in the wake of Sortie 1, also consisting of four new F models and a combined crew of about 22, by just a day. The sorties were separated by at least a day so that some of the smaller airfields used along the way would not be overly taxed in terms of fueling capabilities or ramp parking spaces.
Four more CH-47 F model Chinooks would follow a couple of weeks later to comprise Sortie 3 for a total of 12 new aircraft delivered to the 16th CAB in Fairbanks.
The route was lengthy and well-planned out.
The new F models and their crews would fly from Savannah, Ga., to St. Louis then on to Rapid City, S.D., with a quick stop for fuel and lunch at Campbell Army Airfield at Fort Campbell, Ky. From Rapid City, the route continued north to Helena, Mont., and, from Helena, north across the Canadian border to Edmonton in Alberta. From there, stops included Fort Nelson in northern British Columbia, a brief fuel stop at Whitehorse in the Yukon, and, finally, the immense state of Alaska and the final destination of Fairbanks. "