Exercise Blackbird
Surveying the scene before pick up.
By FLTLT Gareth Kemeys
All photos courtesy of Gavin Conroy.
It was 7,000 feet as I terminated into a hover above the Ridgeline. I was looking sideways out at my hover reference. The -10°C cold wind circulated around the cabin as the crewman looked out and down at the ridge, while directing me slowly down so we could touch the skid onto the snow. The instructor checked down on the collective and informed me of a simulated downdraught by saying ‘practise’. I took the escape and gently nosed the aircraft forward and down, holding in as much power as the instructor would let me have. The aircraft dropped into the valley below and picked up airspeed as we flew away.
SGT Young, FGOFF Bradley and SQNLDR Cooper.
I had not long been back in the country from a challenging three month deployment in East Timor, where the sun was shining and the temperatures were normally above 30°C so it was a shock to the system to be flying around in temperatures below zero, participating in No. 3 Squadron’s annual mountain flying exercise, Blackbird. Exercise Blackbird is carried out to maintain and train current No. 3 Squadron Aircrew in mountain flying techniques and to give them the tools to successfully carry out flying operations in the harsh and often unforgiving mountainous terrain that is encountered around much of New Zealand and the theatres of the South Pacific where we typically operate. While the snow adds a specific dimension to mountain techniques, it is just one of many issues faced when flying in steep rugged country.
FGOFF Mary Woolston.
Exercise Blackbird was run from 4 to 15 August, involving two rotations and consisting of 120 personnel. For the first time since 2000, seven aircraft operated out of Dip Flat, with those in between having been based out of Base Woodbourne. The purpose was to train new Iroquois pilots and crewmen in mountain flying techniques and also to carry out upgrades and maintain currency in mountain flying for other aircrew, both by day and night, using night vision goggles. For other personnel it is just a challenge to carry out their primary job in a remote location and in conditions which involved cold wind, snow on the ground, and very cold temperatures, –8°C one morning.
‘Flying any helicopter (or aircraft for that matter) in the mountains is dangerous, regardless of the conditions. This exercise is about making the crews aware of the dangers, recognising them and then mitigating them before it is too late. The only way to do that is to get in amongst it and push the aircraft (and also the crews) to their limit under the watchful eye of a team of very experienced instructors. Dip Flat provides a wonderful environment for this, as well as building those core values we have come to know so well. This was the first time for many crews to experience the effect of what 40kts of rotor wash does to an abundance of fresh snow. Yes – instant whiteout!
Pick up from 6500 ft.
No different to dust and sand in small quantities, the continuous dumping of snow during this exercise (not to mention sleeping in it), provided for some real eye opening experiences.
Helicopters can be employed to fly approaches to a ridge, pinnacle, valley or scree slope, either to unload or pick up personnel via landing or winch, but requires helicopters to fly lower and slower than our fixed wing brethren. This means that a range of conditions such as up-drafting and down-drafting air, rotors, turbulence, low light conditions with whiteout, and loss of definition are common, and are compounded by the proximity to the steep terrain.
Vortex ring, loss of tail rotor effectiveness and/or control, are some of the conditions that pilots and crewmen are required to know and understand so that they can deal with and prevent these situations from developing.
Aircraft maintenance.
Last year’s notable inclusion to Blackbird was the team from Pacific Wings. This year was the turn of FlightPathTV.com who came along to take some footage for a series of documentaries. Initially the weather was poor for filming but on the last day, prior to the helicopters leaving Dip Flat, the weather gods allowed some magnificent conditions in order for some successful footage to be captured. So watch this space!
This also allowed FGOFF Dan Pezaro and crew to head off and carry out some much valued snow relief for farmers feeling the bite of the deep snow. With sheep being stuck without feed, they were putting into practice the exact type of operation we train for, and have been called upon to conduct, on numerous occasions in the last decade.
A Huey.
As quick as the fine weather came, it left. The clouds closed in and the snow started to fall. The helicopters quickly evacuated Dip Flat, leaving most of us behind. Overnight around a foot and a half of snow fell. Roads were closed, and with trees and wires down even the Unimogs could not come in to pull personnel out. Luckily, with a small gap in the weather, the sound of the mighty Iroquois filled the Wairau Valley and pulled us all out. When I say all, I actually mean all but the drivers and the Adj. Several vehicles remained behind, marooned by the snow. With food for three days and the left over bar stock, not to mention hut availability, morale was still good. Well, at least for the first couple of days. Recovery back to Woodbourne was achieved four days later.
Another successful Blackbird conducted! Thanks must go to all the organisers and support units involved in helping No. 3 Squadron carry out Blackbird. Without you it simply couldn’t be done. The importance of this exercise is totally summed up by this quote:
What is that mountain goat doing way up here in the clouds?
— Gary Larson, in a well-known 'Farside' cartoon.