326th AS aircrew now veteran RODEO wranglers

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Steve Lewis
  • 512th Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Aircrew members from the 326th Airlift Squadron are bringing home new experiences after competing at the 2009 Air Mobility Command RODEO July 19-25 at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. 

With more than 100 teams participating at the RODEO, including seven foreign countries, the competition tested Airmen from the 512th and 436th Airlift Wings in airlift operations including aerial port, maintenance, security forces and aircrew. 

More than a decade ago, Dover AFB touched down at the RODEO in a C-5 Galaxy. This year, the base's team landed in a C-17 Globemaster III.
 
For Maj. Mark Chagaris, aircraft commander, and Maj. Richard Klarich, pilot, the RODEO began when they landed the plane within seconds of an estimated time of arrival. That first graded exercise would be the start of additional challenges the aircrew would face throughout the week. 

Of the events the pilots participated in, which included low-level navigation and assault landing, Major Chagaris said he thought the air refueling portion was challenging. 

"The way they make it challenging here is by having the tanker turn their autopilot off and including more turns," he said. . "In the area of responsibility, it's usually one long track with no turns." 

While the week pressed on, the aircrew not only logged flight ours during the day, but also at night. After doing an additional air refuel, the pilots were graded on an assault landing with night vision goggles. The landing area was defined as a 500-foot zone that was 90 feet wide. 

"To maximize on points, we had to land at exactly 250 feet of that zone," said Major Chagaris. "As far as I know, we were the first team in the competition to do that." 

While the pilots faced challenging flight scenarios, Tech Sgt. Harry Pollock, 326th AS loadmaster, was graded on his own events. Sergeant Pollock was evaluated on a combat cargo offload, an engine running onload-offload and backing up the aircraft. 

In the combat cargo offload event, a 2,200 pound pallet had to be released from the rear of the aircraft on an exact spot on the flight line. Sergeant Pollock described the offload as pulling a tablecloth out from under a table. 

"No matter how hard you practice for something like that, it's all about math and timing," he said. "We only missed the offload by a few inches." 

Being the aircrew's first time at the RODEO, the challenges the team faced will provide lessons learned for future competitions. 

"I've never used such a combination of various skills, so I definitely have something to bring back to the squadron that will make me a better instructor," said Major Chagaris. 

The aircrew already has plans to compete in future RODEOs, especially with the knowledge and new experiences they have to pass on to other unit members. Until then, the team can continue to hone the skills and techniques they acquired at the RODEO while supporting missions worldwide.