View From HQ - 2010/02

168 MODEL AVIATION
Executive Director Jim Cherry
ave 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 ED 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.
H
“Of course I said yes!”
View From HQ
(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.)
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.”
Brad Pufpaff holds the 28.5-inch-wingspan
Wasp before preflight and launch.
Jim Cherry on the stick of a Wasp. Notice
the transmission and down link antenna on
top of the truck. A BOSH employee sits in
the truck watching Jim’s flight on a laptop
computer with an eye-in-the-sky view.
Jim Cherry flies the Raven with Andrew
McNeal standing by. Brad Pufpaff photo.
Our focus was on the small, but effective,
RQ-11 Raven and the Wasp III 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 manportable
UAS.”
The Wasp III’s mission is the same, and
further states that the aircraft falls into “the
class of Air Force small unmanned systems
known as micro UAS.” From outward
George Levkulich (L) and Andrew McNeal
operated the Raven system. The
battlefield laptop computer displayed its
flight path while McNeal’s controller allows
flying either by visual line of sight or with
the “heads down” aspect of flying with
either the forward- or side-facing camera.
Continued on page 165
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appearances and size, both airplanes would
feel and be at home at any RC flying site, but
as the saying goes, “it’s what’s inside that
counts.”
The Raven back-packable system features
two air vehicles, or AVs, a ground-control unit,
remote video terminal, transit cases, and
support equipment. Two specially trained
Airmen operate the Raven AV. The AV can be
controlled manually or can autonomously
navigate a preplanned route.
The Wasp III UAS features the expendable
air vehicle, a ground-control unit, and
communications ground station. Wasp III is a
collapsible, lightweight air vehicle with a twobladed
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.
The official specifications for both aircraft
can be found at www.af.mil/information/
factsheets/index.asp.
I was escorted by Jeff Lemasters, BOSH’s
Special Operations Forces Branch Chief, the
first of the many BOSH employees I would
meet who impressed me with their
professionalism of and seriousness about their
February 2010 165
View From HQ
Continued from page 168
Jim Cherry
Executive Director
[email protected]
jobs supporting our men and women in
uniform. Most were former military and,
surprisingly, few were modelers. Most were 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 was to be my flight instructor
later in the day.
A tour of the first-class facility revealed
classrooms and support areas. A visitor’s signin
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.
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-andgos
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 adopted 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 of these individuals
and their dedication in taking the time to walk
me through the process. They were proud of
and enjoyed what they were doing and liked
sharing it with others.
The preflight consisted of control systems
check, battery check, motor run-up, and the
important down link check. This followed a
written checklist. A flight log was kept on each
flight of the aircraft, denoting pilot, flight time,
location, and other pertinent information.
In flight, when the Wasp tilted in any
direction, the gyros kicked in the control
surfaces in an attempt to level the aircraft.
After a few orbits of the area, AFSOC
personnel offered to let me fly it.
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 FF
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 the auto mode, the
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.
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 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 one 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. MA
In the Raven’s waterproof backpack, the
square payload pod is on the left and the
front section of the fuselage is on the right.
Wing storage is below.
A ready-for-the-field Wasp system with
two aircraft and support equipment.
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