View From HQ
"Of course I said yes!"
Have you ever wished that you could see around the next corner, know what's around the block, or have a look at the other team's formation before the play? Now imagine that wish came true, but you're in a foreign country, the other team is not going to shake your hand when the buzzer sounds, and did I mention they are sworn to kill you if given the chance?
Now you can be the eyes for your team and give life-saving information to the captain. Would you get excited? I would — and I did.
No, I have not resigned as AMA's Executive Director and joined the military. During the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday, I was given an opportunity to meet the dedicated men and women who are teaching our troops these life-saving skills.
A friend sent me a press release about a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new training facility at Choctaw Field, one of the many outlying airfields that are part of the Navy training facilities in Pensacola, Florida. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field in Florida, in cooperation with the Navy, conducts training exercises at Choctaw Field. My friend, knowing of my passion for model flying and where I work, knew I would have a vested interest in this press release.
(Note: The US Navy is supportive of the AMA in the Pensacola area. Members of the Northwest Florida Modelers, Inc. are allowed to utilize four of the Navy's outlying airfields on the weekends when full-scale training is not in progress. Special gate combinations are provided for club members and authorization papers must be carried at all times. The Academy greatly appreciates this use agreement.)
Tour Coordination and Introduction
AFSOC Public Affairs coordinated my tour of the training facility and linked me with Michael Gendron, Director, Special Operations Forces (SOF) and Aviation Services for BOSH Global Services (BOSH), the company that provides instructor support for the facility.
I was warmly greeted by Mr. Gendron and was given a PowerPoint presentation, which some new employees also receive, covering the size, type, and military uses of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs). Many associate UASs with the US Air Force's Predator (and Reaper), in service since 1995, with its identifiable inverted V-tail, a 66-foot wingspan, and 2,300-pound weight. That was not what we were to see.
The AFSOC school house at Choctaw Field is for small unmanned aircraft systems, or SUASs. The key words here are "small" and "system." The UAS is more than just the "vehicle" in the sky; the launch, control/mission, and recovery components — including the ground control station, antennas, and ground support equipment — comprise the support "system."
Systems Highlighted
Our focus was on the small but effective RQ-11 Raven and the Wasp series made by AeroVironment. As described in the Air Force briefing materials:
- The RQ-11B Raven small unmanned aircraft system provides real-time direct situational awareness and target information for Air Force Special Operations Command battlefield airmen and Air Force security forces. The Raven falls into the class of Air Force small UAS known as man-portable UAS.
- The Wasp III's mission is the same, and the aircraft falls into the class of Air Force small unmanned systems known as micro UAS.
From outward appearance and size, both airplanes would feel at home at any RC flying site, but as the saying goes, "it's what's inside that counts."
The Raven backpackable system features:
- Two air vehicles (AVs)
- A ground-control unit
- A remote video terminal
- Transit cases and support equipment
Two specially trained airmen operate each Raven AV. The AV can be controlled manually or can autonomously navigate a preplanned route.
The Wasp II/UAS features and Wasp III characteristics:
- Wasp II UAS features an expendable air vehicle, a ground-control unit, and a communications ground station.
- Wasp III is a collapsible, lightweight air vehicle with a two-bladed propeller driven by a small electric motor. The Wasp III is equipped with an internal Global Positioning System and Inertial Navigation System, autopilot, and two onboard cameras. The entire system can function autonomously from takeoff to recovery, or be controlled by one operator using a handheld remote-control unit.
Official specifications for both aircraft can be found at www.af.mil/information/factsheets/index.asp.
Personnel and Facility
I was escorted by Jeff Lemasters, BOSH's Special Operations Forces Branch Chief, the first of many BOSH employees I met who impressed me with their professionalism and seriousness about their jobs supporting our men and women in uniform. Most were former military and, surprisingly, few were modelers. Most had been involved in full-scale aviation before their training with BOSH as SUAS pilots.
We approached a newly renovated building near the active runway and control tower at Choctaw Field. Inside I was introduced to Brad Pufpaff, AFSOC's SUAS Formal Training Unit Chief, who would be my flight instructor later in the day.
A tour of the first-class facility revealed classrooms and support areas. A visitor's sign-in area had shields of all our armed forces on display. The facility supports SUAS operators from all branches of the military services with a variety of courses in a number of systems.
The usual class size is 25. There are 80 hours of instruction with these systems and each student graduates with at least 15 hours of stick time. The student-to-instructor ratio is five to one during flight instruction.
Learning to fly the airplane responsibly, as is so important in our RC world, is only one aspect of the training. Mission awareness, airspace concerns, and data and information transmission (targeting) of what is being seen out in the field to the leaders are key to a successful mission.
Flight Operations and Safety
Arriving at one of the flight stations, which was set up at the end of one of Choctaw Field's closed runways, I noticed that the Navy student pilots and instructors were doing touch-and-goes in their T-34 Mentors on an active runway not far away.
I was told that our operations were separated by 1,500 feet by the Navy and AFSOC had added an additional 500 feet of separation for good measure. SUAS operations in Choctaw Field's Class D airspace are conducted in compliance with an established FAA Certificate of Authorization. (The FAA has ruled that Advisory Circular 91-57, Model Aircraft Operating Standards, does not apply to systems intended for military/commercial use.)
With the tower operational, we were ready for a systems test mission. I thought this was set up for my benefit; I was sure these guys had better things to do than entertain a visitor two days before Thanksgiving. My assumptions were wrong. The pride and professionalism in watching the preflight and launch spoke volumes about these individuals and their dedication in taking the time to walk me through the process. They were proud of what they were doing and liked sharing it with others.
The preflight consisted of:
- Control systems check
- Battery check
- Motor run-up
- Downlink check
This followed a written checklist. A flight log was kept for each flight of the aircraft, denoting:
- Pilot
- Flight time
- Location
- Other pertinent information
In flight, when the Wasp tilted in any direction, the gyros kicked in and the control surfaces attempted to keep the aircraft level. After a few orbits of the area, AFSOC personnel offered to let me fly it.
My Flight Experience
Let's set the picture here: an aircraft costing more than anything else I have ever flown before; five guys all standing around who would be watching me; the weight of representing the entire modeling community on my shoulders; and, by the way, what's the punishment for destroying government property these days? Of course I said yes!
The controller was passed to me as the aircraft was flying away (always a safe move for an instructor), and I gave the input to turn left. Nothing happened! I gave it again and by now the small Wasp was getting even smaller.
Brad Pufpaff, my government flight instructor who is also an RCer, recognized my problem. He told me that, unlike our RC systems where a small amount of input usually results in an immediate, large response, these systems were designed for nonmodelers. They are programmed to accept continuous input to make a change in direction.
I applied full left input and held it; the Wasp responded with a gradual, wings-level turn back to our location. Whew! Apply full left in nearly any RC model and hold it in, and the aircraft will be on its back in a heartbeat.
With a few more laps around the area, it was time to come down. Landing is simple: pilot the Wasp back to you, cut the power from a minimum attitude, and glide it in.
The Raven has a landing mode that our free-flight community would be proud of. The model has a programmed landing mode of kicking the elevator assembly up into a dethermalizing mode and wings that disconnect upon impact to avoid damage.
While the aircraft is in auto mode, altitude adjustment up and down is done in 20-foot increments. One input equals 20 feet; two inputs equal 40 feet, and so on.
The Wasp controller was much like an electronic game controller and the Raven even more so. The shapes of the buttons and input controls were similar to the popular games on the market today, and I was told this was not a coincidence.
At another flight station, the Raven crew was set up for launch and systems check. This aircraft has an interchangeable payload pod at the front of the aircraft.
I did some "heads down" flying using the sun shield attached to the controller. After a short while, I was able to keep the airplane in a circular orbit around us while looking at the flight station on the ground.
Conclusion and Thanks
What I thought would be a two-hour tour ended up with me spending much of the day and having an opportunity to enjoy a late lunch with the BOSH crew. The camaraderie of the men and women enjoying what they do made me feel honored to share this day with them.
A special thanks to the following people who made this day of pride and a deeper appreciation for what it takes to support our armed forces: Don Arias, Air Force Special Operations Command, Public Affairs; and Michael Gendron, Mary Esther, FL.
Jim Cherry Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
