On the day of the flight the pilots get a packet that includes the completed flight plan, the routing, all the computations for the fuel load and the information on the various airfields, he said. All the pilots have to do is verify the information, in the same way that airline pilots do with their dispatchers.
“We follow all the normal routing and air-traffic control procedures, and we file flight plans just like those that have to be filed for any other passenger-carrying aircraft,” Griffin said. “The only difference is that we can operate into military facilities that are closed to civilian aircraft. While we prefer to fly into military air bases whenever possible, for security reasons, we will fly into whichever facility best accommodates the user’s mission.”
Satisfied Customers
The end result of all USAPAT’s efforts, Griffin said, is a flight that gets the passengers to their destination quickly and safely.
“The people we transport are doing important work on behalf of the Army and the nation, and we do everything we can to support them by providing the best-possible flight experience,” he said.
“And we do just that,” Myers added. “In fiscal year 2005 our Andrews-based aircraft carried 1,646 passengers, flying 853,478 nautical miles over the course of 2,878 flight hours, all without an incident or accident.”
The ultimate validation of USAPAT’s efforts comes from its customers, said instructor pilot CW3 Kris Rogers.
“We always strive to exceed our customers’ expectations, whether it’s in getting them where they need to go in a timely manner or reacting quickly to their changing needs,” he said. “And once people fly with us, they usually don’t want to fly with anyone else.”
Aviation Oversight in the NCR
The Air Operations Group — parent organization of both the 12th Aviation Battalion and the U.S. Army Priority Air Transport command — was established in December 2005 to fulfill a very specific task, according to MG Guy C. Swan III, commander of both the Military District of Washington and the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region.
“The JFHQ-NCR is charged with coordinating all services within the NCR for homeland defense and support to civil authorities,” he said, “and the AOG — in addition to being the higher headquarters for both the 12th Avn. Bn. and the USAPAT — is also the joint military aviation expert organization in the NCR.”
Coordination of all military aviation assets in the NCR is vitally important, Swan said, because the services would integrate their air operations during a time of national emergency or natural disaster.
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina we saw helicopters from all the services and a variety of law-enforcement and civilian agencies at work saving lives and moving people and cargo,” he said. “If something catastrophic were to happen in the NCR, helicopters would be just as important to rescue-and-recovery efforts. So planning for an integrated aviation response is absolutely vital. The AOG is not the lead agency by any means, but we feel we can offer a valuable service to our civil and military counterparts to create a true community of aviators here in the NCR.”
Part of the AOG’s planning involves determining which military installations in the NCR have airfields or landing areas capable of supporting helicopter operations in the event of a large-scale incident, said the AOG’s commander, COL Steward E. Remaly.
“We feel that such planning will help us better execute our joint-services, support-to-civil-authority mission here in the NCR in the event of a man-made incident or natural disaster,” he said.
“This organization is unique, in that it doesn’t fit any of the Army’s current aviation organization structures,” Remaly said. “Our missions are out of the ordinary, so we had to essentially invent the organization from scratch.”
Fortunately, Remaly said, the AOG has been able to depend on skilled and capable personnel at all levels.
“I couldn’t ask for better Soldiers and civilians,” he said. “Everyone — in the AOG, in the 12th Avn. Bn. and in USAPAT — is a true professional. We’re tasked with missions that are not performed anywhere else in the Army, and I’m proud to say that every member of this team is dedicated to ensuring that we accomplish the missions to the highest possible level.”
