Wolf Pack members take flight in Army Black Hawk

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Wolf Pack members experienced first-hand what flying in a rotary-wing aircraft feels like when Soldiers from the 2-2 Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, at Camp Humphreys brought a UH-60 Black Hawk to Kunsan Air Base Jan. 7.

Army Capt. Lee Jin, 8th Fighter Wing ground liaison officer, invited the Soldiers here to educate Wolf Pack pilots and 8th Operations Group intelligence Airmen on Army aviation assets.

"I thought it would be a great opportunity for the people I work with and myself to really get a better understanding of the limits, capabilities and potential that the Black Hawk has in any kind of situation, and I saw it as a way to start a relationship with the 2nd CAB," Captain Jin said. "What better way than this?"

Chief Warrant Officers Craig Parker and Josh Robinson, Black Hawk pilots, and Private First Class George Oberg, Black Hawk maintainer, treated participants to a familiarization flight, static display, and informational briefing on the UH-60 Black Hawk. The team briefed the Wolf Pack members and answered questions on how flights are planned, types of Black Hawk missions, the aircraft's specifications and capabilities, and the team's personal experiences with the Black Hawk.

"We're moving toward total force integration," said Chief Robinson. "This was a key step in us working with our sister services to show exactly how we can come together and work better as one total force, because ultimately, we're all in the same fight."

Airmen who participated in the event said they enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the Army and Army aircraft.

"It was a lot of fun to meet the Army guys," said Staff Sgt. Shawn Coleman, 8th OG intelligence training manager. "We work with the Army a fair bit in our joint operations. They're taking care of the ground, we're taking care of the air, but it's always good to know how they do what they do. For example, if they're moving troops to a given location, how they are going to do that, how long it's going to take, how long we need to provide air cover, and how we plan for that is something we can work sitting down, but to actually be in the aircraft and to see how they maneuver, was just an added bonus for us today."

"It was a great experience," said Capt. Christopher Reichlen, 8th Medical Operations Squadron aerospace and operational physiologist. "In my career in physiology, I've mainly only dealt with fixed-wing aviators. Rotary-wing aircraft present a different set of physiological challenges, and it was nice to get a small orientation to some of those and chat about them with the pilots."

The Black Hawk team said they also enjoyed the opportunity to share knowledge with the Wolf Pack and interact with their sister service.

"You don't really see different divisions of the military working together and really sharing knowledge, bringing to the table things they wouldn't normally experience together, and I think that was a big thing that was accomplished here," said Private Oberg.

"I enjoy any chance that we have to do inter-agency training and show what we have, the capabilities that we can bring to the fight, and what could be expected of us that we can do," Chief Parker said. "It was a good chance for people who wouldn't normally see Army equipment to get to touch it, see it, feel it, ask questions about it and ride on it. It was a great experience."

Captain Jin said he was also pleased with the visit's success.

"It was 110 percent worth it," he said. "I wouldn't have done it any other way. This was the best way and the best time to be doing something like this."