The first stop on our tour was the Command Post/Base Ops.  We had a chance to speak to Captain Kevin Thorsell who is assisting in what the Air Force calls “Stage Management”.  Stage Management coordinates the aircrews flying out, alerting them, briefing them and launching them.  Since the relief operations started, the team at Charleston has launched more than 140 missions.  This is above and beyond their normal ops tempo for OIF OEF.  The kinds of things they are moving range anywhere from water and MRE’s to vehicles and people, as the Captain said, “…That’s what the C-17 does, we carry everything.”  Charleston’s primary aircraft is the C-17, and currently they are operating 15 jets in support of relief operations – at the peak, they were flying 25 jets at one time.  Charleston aircrews aren’t the only ones flying these missions, because of the significant increase in ops tempo, AMC has brought in crews from all over the country, one of Capt Thorsell’s jobs is to ensure that those crews have everything they need, and are taken care of when it comes to some of the creature comforts.  A typical day in the life of an aircrew assisting in this operation begins with the alert, at that point they get rolling and have 3 hours and 45 minutes to be wheels up.  Once they’re alerted, they will typically prepare for the day, including getting whatever food they need – they’ll arrive at the Command Post and start receiving their mission briefs.  This includes an intel and tactics brief and flight planning, from there they “step to the jet” and take off.  A typical day can last up to 16 hours, but they can last as long as 20 hours.  Crews have to have at least 15 hours of rest time before they are “legal for bravo”, legal for “bravo” means that they can be alerted anytime in a 72 hours period for launch on their next mission.  A normal crew consists of 2 pilots and 1 loadmaster, because of the longer duration of these missions they’re using augmented crews which consist of 3 pilots, 2 loadmasters, possibly a crew chief, and 2 Phoenix Raven security forces airmen.

Our next stop was the Air Terminal Operations Center (ATOC), which is located above the Aerial Port.  The Aerial Port (AP) is the hub for all cargo in and out of Charleston AFB.  The AP is responsible for in processing all cargo, sorting it, palletizing it, load planning, and loading it onto the aircraft.  Master Sergeant Michael Davis is the superintendent of the ATOC – this includes the load planning section and the ATOC itself.  Once of the things I was most curious about was how significant was the increase in ops tempo was for the AP and how they’ve handled it.  MSgt Davis explained, that the ops tempo has “really increased in general with the Haiti relief”.  Because most of the cargo is being picked up at other bases, the role of the ATOC has primarily been one of crew logistics support, making sure they have all the supplies they need for the missions.  Charleston has sent cargo downrange to support the relief operations as well – they have sent everything from medical supplies to water.  In fact, the primary cargo they are transporting to Haiti right now is water.

Overall the impression I got of the operations out of Charleston was good, they are very well organized and are working hard to provide support to the people of Haiti.  This is a great example of the Air Forces ability to have global reach, a capability that I think is critical to maintaining our Air Superiority, whether that means supporting combat operations, or providing critical resources in times of disaster.

I leave you with a shot of water on pallets to illustrate the types of loads they’re moving out of here.

The first thing you notice about these airplanes is their sheer size.  They are enormous – they are 11 feet longer, 6 feet wider and a little more than 1 foot taller than the F-15.  It was a little overwhelming standing next to them and comparing them to the 3 L-39‘s that were also in the hangar was almost laughable – they dwarfed the Albatross easily.

Originally these 2 aircraft were sold to a private company who intended to use them for scientific research.  Because it was determined that they weren’t the right platform for the work, they are now being offered to private owners or aviation museums.  The SU’s were delivered to the US in October of 2008 via an Antonov AN-124 Condor.  Before they left, they were – of course – completely demilitarized.  All of the weapon hard points were removed along with all countermeasures and radar equipment.  They were inspected upon their arrival into the US and have been cleared for private sale.  There aren’t too many conditions for the sale other than they cannot leave the US.  The asking price is $6 Million each – recently Israel sold 2 very similar aircraft for $15 Million each – these aircraft retained their military systems, but the estimated value of that equipment is approximately $1,500,000 – this should give you an idea of what Pride ultimately expect to get for the 2 aircraft.

As I am writing this, they have undoubtedly begun engine testing as they expected to start that the week after my visit (August 7th, 2009).  They expect to be making the first flights in the US by October of this year.  Included with the purchase is 1 year of “factory support” provided at Pride in Rockford.

I’ve been trying to imagine who the buyer for an aircraft like this is, is it a wealthy aviation enthusiat?  A Museum?  One thing I know for sure is that, in my opinion, if these aircraft are sold to a museum or the like it will be a shame.  It seems to me that an aircraft like this – in such perfect condition – is just screaming to be flown.  As I get more more information regarding any sale, I will keep you updated.

Here are some additional photos from the aircraft: