Rare Super Hornet backseat ride in theater with VFA-41
February 3rd, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
Rare U-2 Invitation
February 1st, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
I have never been “invited” to do anything with the USAF before. That is one reason so much of my time is spent working with the Navy, they are simply more agreeable and accommodating when it comes to civilian media requests. In this case however, I was amazed to not only be invited to tag along on the unique recovery profile of the legendary U-2 Dragon Lady, but the squadron CO said it would be fine with him for me to photograph the entire evolution (with a few conditions).
Running two identical Pontiac G8 GTO sedans rigged with enough comm gear to talk to the moon, we prepositioned the two cars at the approach end of the runway just off the taxiway. As the slow-moving, single engine 50-plus-year-old airplane crossed the fence, both cars accelerated to nearly 100 mph in just a few seconds. Once behind the gracefully hovering black recce bird, the lead vehicle made altitude calls to the pilot who is unable to adequately view the runway ahead — 10 feet … 6 feet … 3 feet … 2 feet … 10 inches … 2 inches … down — and then the plane rolled to a gradual stop, eventually dipping one wingtip until the ground crew could install the orange taxi wheels for the ride back to the hangar. Once the engine shut down, the ground crew pushed the sunshade over the cockpit, and the canopy came open to reveal the yellow pressure suit clad pilot. These are the same suits made by David Clark that are flown on the Space Shuttle and the now extinct SR-71 Blackbird. The first thing to come out of the cockpit is the stash of red-bordered TOP SECRET profile documents, which I obviously was not allowed to photograph. After the scene was sterilized of classified material, I was able to shoot the pilot being helped out of the jet and ceremoniously welcomed back by his squadron mates.
Typical missions last upwards of nine hours at altitudes greater than 60,000 feet. Truly, this was a rare glimpse at the deployed operations of one of the tightest secret communities on the tip of the spear. Thanks to these unnamed crews, conducting secret ops at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.
Erok
Live fire video from USMC UH-1Y over Afghanistan
January 26th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
Downrange: Camp Bastion Afghanistan, part 2
January 26th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
There is so much material from the last 2 weeks that it will be hard to upload single edits from each place I visit. This next post is a follow up to the 2 nights I spent with the Marines at Camp Bastion. Part one showed some of the helicopter ops flying with the UH-1Y over the live-fire ranges. These next images are from the same flight where we were able to shoot Zuni rockets and the GAU-17 mini-gun. In one of the shots, look close at the locals on the ground. As we flew our attack runs over the range, these guys, some on motorcycles would scramble out of the dry creeks and waddies to gather up the brass falling from the helos. You would think they could wait until we were cleared off and the range was cold again, but they were literally on the active hot range with weapons firing overhead … how much could the brass really be worth?
More to come.
EROK
Marine H-46 Phrogs in Kuwait
January 22nd, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
The Marine helo detachment at Camp Buehring at Udairi Kuwait operates the oldest platform in Naval Aviation. Nearly 50 years old, these workhorse cargo aircraft are still flying cargo all around the AOR. This two-ship formation was flying over the practice ranges off base and in some of the shots, you can see the mock villages that are used for scenario training of ground forces. There are actually a variety of these staged outposts scattered around the ranges representing the wide variety of urban situations facing troops on the ground.
More to Come
Erok
Back From Afghanistan … Heading into Iraq
January 20th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
Well the trip of a lifetime continues… currently at Camp Bucca in Iraq having been 2 days at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, a day in Kuwait and now waiting for fog to lift so the Desert Hawk SH-60S flight can come get me back to Bahrain. I don’t know where to start telling you about everything I have seen, so I will crank out a quick gallery while I wait here and post it shortly. Connectivity in theater in bizzarre. Almost everywhere I have been has had a cell signal so text and vox calls on my iPhone have been easy and frequent… and crystal clear most the time. I will post some images, but have since learned that I will not be able to share the locations of the units and countries. Stand by for the gallery.
Getting tired…
Erok
FEET DRY: Back from Nimitz
January 13th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
JUST BACK FROM NIMITZ
After a long but uneventful transit via Northwest/KLM through Amsterdam, I made it to Bahrain late Sunday night and was met by Navy 5th Fleet Public Affairs CDR. Chris Sims and LCDR Corey Barker. I managed to grab a very short 5 hours in the rack before reporting for the 2.5 hour COD flight out to Nimitz first thing Monday morning. With all flight off the carrier supporting the ongoing OEF activity in Afghanistan, the boat is operating way south of Bahrain in the Gulf of Oman since all flights are overflying Pakistan to get in-country. Within an hour of trapping aboard Nimitz, I was sitting in the brief with VFA-41 getting the gouge for the planned photo ex that was already in place. The plan was to take a simultaneous covey launch with the Prowler and then chase them up the “Boulevard” air route that all tactical aircraft follow in transit to the Afghan kill boxes, and then circle back and join up with each subsequent strike element as they were shot off the bow behind us. The weather was clear above 5K, but the layer of clouds obscured the Pakistani coastline. As a result, the images I will post show the various strike elements during their transit right up to going “feet dry” over the southern coast of Pakistan, but with clouds instead of desert in the background. There will be some video from the cockpit eventually, but I wanted to get these posted quickly before heading off to Al Udid in Qatar first thing Thursday. I am writing this on from my state room aboard Nimitz on Wednesday morning and will be able to make a data-dump/upload from the Air Unit back in Bahrain. While flying in the helo around the boat yesterday shooting the launch and recovery, one of my cameras was fried by the ship’s radar if you can believe that, so I will be making an emergency run to the camera shop in Bahrain to buy another Nikon D3 to finish up this trip. Thanks for checking in, and I will make another upload hopefully when I get back from Qatar and before heading to Bagram and Camp Bastion in Afghanistan.
Erok out
War Zone Round Up!
January 7th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
1/7/10: This post is made as I prepare to head over to cover all of Fifth Fleet (NAVCENT) AOR for the next two weeks. If it all possible, I will make updates from theater and let you all know how the trip is going. At this point, I will be operating in and out of Bahrain, making the initial push straight out to Nimitz for coverage of the carrier air wing including VFAs 14/41. After that, the trip gets a bit insane with a whirlwind of stops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi, Qatar and UAE. One way or another, I will make sure to update this blog with the sights and sounds of this incredible adventure along the way. Until then, please keep checking back and wish me luck! And YES! I do realize how cool this is going to be. You can rest assured I feel incredibly fortunate. Thanks in advance to VADM William “Shortney” Gortney.
Next stop, the Sandbox!
Erok
At the controls of my 1968 O-2A Skymaster
E-2C Hawkeyes and C-2 CODs
December 29th, 2009 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
These final two elements of the Pt Mugu photo mission required a lot of patience by these crews who literally orbited overhead the photo ship for about two hours before their turn behind the ramp came up. Luckily, the weather stayed clear and they were treated to the sweet light of a nearly setting sun over the Pacific. Thanks for hanging in there guys and it was great to be able to get you into the book!
Erok
VX-30 BLOODHOUNDS at POINT MUGU
December 29th, 2009 | Photography | Posted by Erik Hildebrandt
On the second leg of the trip last week in California, I traveled over to Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station just south of Ventura. A beautiful spit of land that sticks out into the Pacific Ocean, the base is ideally located for the live-fire missile test and gunnery ranges out over the water and Channel Islands. On this flight, the Bloodhounds launched a genuine gaggle that included the C-130 platform we shot from and then a second C-130 as a subject followed by one of the last flying S-3 Vikings, and a P-3 Orion sub hunter. The weather was perfect and all the planets aligned to get these aircraft airborne in a rare dissimilar formation worthy of the Centennial of Naval Aviation project. At the end of this mission, we had two sections join us: a two ship of E-2C Hawkeyes and then a two-ship of C-2A CODs. That post will follow shortly.
