Airlift To Darfur – Small Dead Animals

Pity Canada no longer has enough of an Air Force he help in Darfur. Because we no longer have sufficient flyable CC-130 Hercules, the two Herc squadrons at CFB Trenton have been merged into one.
1) Printed from http://www.intelligencer.ca web site Wednesday, July 13, 2005 – � 2005 Belleville Intelligencer Final salute for Bison Squadron
http://www.intelligencer.ca/webapp/sitepages/printable.asp?paper=www.intelligencer.ca&contentID=116968&annewspapername=Belleville+Intelligencer
By Luke Hendry
Saturday, July 09, 2005 – 10:00
Local News –
CFB TRENTON � The herd has gathered for the last time.
Members of 429 �Bison� Transport Squadron stood down here Friday, bringing a chapter in Canadian air force history to a close.
Gatherings of squadronmates were traditionally known as the �gathering of the herd� or stampedes, and the significance of Friday�s poignant ceremony drew Bisons from several stages in 429�s past.
Created in November 1942 in Yorkshire, England, it earned numerous battle honours for its bombing missions using Halifax and Lancaster aircraft during the Second World War.
It stood down in 1946, but was reformed in St. Hubert, Que. in 1967 as a tactical transport squadron using CC-115 Buffalo planes.
The herd moved to Winnipeg in 1972, then Trenton in 1991, where it was responsible for personnel and equipment transport, most recently using the workhorse CC-130 Hercules planes.
But this summer, the Trenton base will begin opening its new Canadian Forces
Aerospace Warfare Centre (CFAWC). The new unit will create 80 jobs and is to reach its full strength of 120 staff by 2008.
As a result, the Bisons are now amalgamating under the colours of Trenton-based 436 �Elephant� Transport Squadron.
There will be no net loss of jobs in the amalgamation. Officials said most staff are joining 436 Squadron, while others are taking positions elsewhere. Several senior officers will be working in the CFAWC, which will develop policies aimed at optimizing the Canadian Forces� use of the air force.
Lt.-Col. Mike Hood, 429�s most recent commander, headed the group for two years and led Friday�s final parade. He said his position was a career highlight.
Hood said the changes are not about saving money, but about efficiency and the air force�s evolution.
�It�s about freeing up some people to tackle other challenges,� he said.
He said those under his command are proud of their work to date, but haven�t dwelled on 429�s fate.
�The guys have been so busy it�s not something we�ve sat around and pondered,� said Hood, noting virtually all squadron members have been to Afghanistan for at least two months, shuttling troops and equipment into the country. That work will now continue with 436 Squadron, he said.
�Tomorrow the guys are leaving to go off at other missions, so the work never stops,� said Hood.
�The squadron will close its doors today at the top of its game,� said Col. Andre Deschamps, commander of CFB Trenton, as a Hercules took off for a ceremonial flypast.
�Even though we are disbanding 429 Squadron today, its legacy will continue,� said Lt.-Gen. Steve Lucas, Chief of the Air Staff, praising the work of its members past and present.
Perhaps the most nostalgic were the group�s Second World War veterans.
Seventy-one aircraft were lost during their missions over war-torn Europe, taking with them more than 400 young comrades.
�Somehow I think the rain is appropriate; we�re shedding tears along with it,� veteran John Sheardown of Ottawa said as he recalled his crew�s Halifax as a �good old bird.
�I owe a great deal to the squadron,� he added. �I lost my youth and my innocence.�
While the squadron�s veterans have largely lost touch since the war, wartime radar officer Art Wilkins of Otterville, near Woodstock, said the loss of 429 is still a sad moment.
�It�ll never be the same again,� he said.
�There is no longer a younger group coming up to carry on what 429 has done,� agreed veteran Carman Brown of Sutton. �We�ve lost something.�
Following a ceremony on the base tarmac, Hood placed 429�s colours � a flag listing its battle honours � in a new cabinet dedicated to the Bisons at the nearby Royal Canadian Air Force Memorial Museum.
�I hope this is not the last stampede of the Bison herd,� he said.
2) And an air force record one would rather not have:
http://www.intelligencer.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentID=115008&catname=Local+News
‘Herc 315 has proven to be a valiant warrior
By Ernst Kuglin
Local News – Friday, June 24, 2005 @ 10:00
By Ernst Kuglin
Special to The Intelligencer
CFB TRENTON � It takes a special aircraft to log enough time to fly the equivalent of 60 round trips to the moon.
The Canadian Air Force�s workhorse of the workhorse fleet � the CC-130 Hercules 315 � has made world military aviation history as the first military Hercules to reach 45,000 flying hours.
CFB Trenton officials said Thursday the aircraft is as much a tribute to the Canadian Forces maintenance crews who keep it flying as it is to the engineering behind the worldwide leader in brute endurance for aircraft.
Built in 1964 and delivered to the Canadian Air Force in 1965, the Herc that bears tail number 315 reached the impressive milestone May 27, while deployed to 4-Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, in support of Exercise Maple Flag, a multinational training exercise.
To put its length of service into perspective, most of the aircrews that fly Herc 315 today are younger than the aircraft itself.
8 Wing and aviation officials celebrated the military aviation benchmark, Thursday morning, with a tribute fitting a world-record holder.
Herc 315 was originally scheduled for a special fly past over Baker�s Island where the tribute was held.
But the military had other, more important plans for the famous Herc. It was assigned to 426 Training Squadron for a drop exercise at CFS Mountain View.
As much as Thursday�s ceremony paid tribute to Herc 315 itself, special attention was given to the hundreds of air force and industry personnel who have spent thousands of hours keeping the aircraft flying � everyone from mechanics and logistical staff.
�We�re here to celebrate those people,�� said Lt.-Col Bill Lewis, commanding officer of 8 Air Maintenance Squadron.
�It takes a world-class team effort. We didn�t reach this milestone without the dedication of many, many people.��
Herc 315 became part of the Canadian air transport fleet in May 1965 as part of a 20-aircraft purchase from Lockheed Aircraft in Marietta, Georgia. After serving squadrons in Edmonton and Ottawa, Herc 315 was transferred to 8 Wing in 1973.
Over its lifetime, Herc 315 has undergone more than 600 modifications, including a modern electronic warfare and countermeasures suite and armour plating to increase its serviceability in hostile environments.
As a pilot, 8 Wing Commanding Officer Col. Andre Deschamps has logged hundreds of hours on Herc 315, about 100 of those flying dangerous missions into Sarajevo at the height of the mid-1990s conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
Deschamps described the aircraft�s serviceability as outstanding.
�We never missed a single mission,�� said Deschamps following the ceremony. �Its seats may be torn, its paint a bit chipped, but it always got us back.��
While other countries had numerous aircraft in the theatre of operations, Canada had Herc 315. And while the serviceability of their aircraft was challenged, Herc 315 kept on flying, said the colonel, fondly recalling the reliability of his old plane.
�It was a real significant achievement,�� said Deschamps. �We flew three very aggressive missions a day.��
Herc 315 has flown and landed thousands of times on missions around the globe � from the heat of the African desert, to the frigid depths of Canada�s Arctic.
Base officials described the serviceability of Herc 315 as a unique achievement for both the Air Force and Lockheed Martin.
Lt.-Col. Bruce Cooke said Herc 315 has its own personality. �It has a distinct personality of reliability and steadfastness. It has flown around the world and participated in an incredible number of operations,�� said Cooke.
Cooke also paid tribute to the thousands of hours by personnel.
�This is a rich and wonderful history … a world class team that generated 45,000 flying hours … a team that has kept Herc 315 safe and operationally fit. This is a true cause for celebration.��
Herc 315 has flown into more than 50 countries around the world and has participated in hundreds of operations over its 40-year career, racking up more than 20,800 takeoffs and landings.’
Mark
Ottawa

5 Replies to “Airlift To Darfur”

The Arabian Knight says:

July 21, 2005 at 4:42 am

How much do you wanna bet that we might be seeing protests by the left for the US to “Get out of Sudan” and “Hands off Sudani Oil”, ” Stop killing Sudani Children”?
Mark Collins says:

July 21, 2005 at 8:39 am

Pity Canada no longer has enough of an Air Force he help in Darfur. Because we no longer have sufficient flyable CC-130 Hercules, the two Herc squadrons at CFB Trenton have been merged into one.
1) Printed from http://www.intelligencer.ca web site Wednesday, July 13, 2005 – � 2005 Belleville Intelligencer Final salute for Bison Squadron
http://www.intelligencer.ca/webapp/sitepages/printable.asp?paper=www.intelligencer.ca&contentID=116968&annewspapername=Belleville+Intelligencer
By Luke Hendry
Saturday, July 09, 2005 – 10:00
Local News –
CFB TRENTON � The herd has gathered for the last time.
Members of 429 �Bison� Transport Squadron stood down here Friday, bringing a chapter in Canadian air force history to a close.
Gatherings of squadronmates were traditionally known as the �gathering of the herd� or stampedes, and the significance of Friday�s poignant ceremony drew Bisons from several stages in 429�s past.
Created in November 1942 in Yorkshire, England, it earned numerous battle honours for its bombing missions using Halifax and Lancaster aircraft during the Second World War.
It stood down in 1946, but was reformed in St. Hubert, Que. in 1967 as a tactical transport squadron using CC-115 Buffalo planes.
The herd moved to Winnipeg in 1972, then Trenton in 1991, where it was responsible for personnel and equipment transport, most recently using the workhorse CC-130 Hercules planes.
But this summer, the Trenton base will begin opening its new Canadian Forces
Aerospace Warfare Centre (CFAWC). The new unit will create 80 jobs and is to reach its full strength of 120 staff by 2008.
As a result, the Bisons are now amalgamating under the colours of Trenton-based 436 �Elephant� Transport Squadron.
There will be no net loss of jobs in the amalgamation. Officials said most staff are joining 436 Squadron, while others are taking positions elsewhere. Several senior officers will be working in the CFAWC, which will develop policies aimed at optimizing the Canadian Forces� use of the air force.
Lt.-Col. Mike Hood, 429�s most recent commander, headed the group for two years and led Friday�s final parade. He said his position was a career highlight.
Hood said the changes are not about saving money, but about efficiency and the air force�s evolution.
�It�s about freeing up some people to tackle other challenges,� he said.
He said those under his command are proud of their work to date, but haven�t dwelled on 429�s fate.
�The guys have been so busy it�s not something we�ve sat around and pondered,� said Hood, noting virtually all squadron members have been to Afghanistan for at least two months, shuttling troops and equipment into the country. That work will now continue with 436 Squadron, he said.
�Tomorrow the guys are leaving to go off at other missions, so the work never stops,� said Hood.
�The squadron will close its doors today at the top of its game,� said Col. Andre Deschamps, commander of CFB Trenton, as a Hercules took off for a ceremonial flypast.
�Even though we are disbanding 429 Squadron today, its legacy will continue,� said Lt.-Gen. Steve Lucas, Chief of the Air Staff, praising the work of its members past and present.
Perhaps the most nostalgic were the group�s Second World War veterans.
Seventy-one aircraft were lost during their missions over war-torn Europe, taking with them more than 400 young comrades.
�Somehow I think the rain is appropriate; we�re shedding tears along with it,� veteran John Sheardown of Ottawa said as he recalled his crew�s Halifax as a �good old bird.
�I owe a great deal to the squadron,� he added. �I lost my youth and my innocence.�
While the squadron�s veterans have largely lost touch since the war, wartime radar officer Art Wilkins of Otterville, near Woodstock, said the loss of 429 is still a sad moment.
�It�ll never be the same again,� he said.
�There is no longer a younger group coming up to carry on what 429 has done,� agreed veteran Carman Brown of Sutton. �We�ve lost something.�
Following a ceremony on the base tarmac, Hood placed 429�s colours � a flag listing its battle honours � in a new cabinet dedicated to the Bisons at the nearby Royal Canadian Air Force Memorial Museum.
�I hope this is not the last stampede of the Bison herd,� he said.
2) And an air force record one would rather not have:
http://www.intelligencer.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentID=115008&catname=Local+News
‘Herc 315 has proven to be a valiant warrior
By Ernst Kuglin
Local News – Friday, June 24, 2005 @ 10:00
By Ernst Kuglin
Special to The Intelligencer
CFB TRENTON � It takes a special aircraft to log enough time to fly the equivalent of 60 round trips to the moon.
The Canadian Air Force�s workhorse of the workhorse fleet � the CC-130 Hercules 315 � has made world military aviation history as the first military Hercules to reach 45,000 flying hours.
CFB Trenton officials said Thursday the aircraft is as much a tribute to the Canadian Forces maintenance crews who keep it flying as it is to the engineering behind the worldwide leader in brute endurance for aircraft.
Built in 1964 and delivered to the Canadian Air Force in 1965, the Herc that bears tail number 315 reached the impressive milestone May 27, while deployed to 4-Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, in support of Exercise Maple Flag, a multinational training exercise.
To put its length of service into perspective, most of the aircrews that fly Herc 315 today are younger than the aircraft itself.
8 Wing and aviation officials celebrated the military aviation benchmark, Thursday morning, with a tribute fitting a world-record holder.
Herc 315 was originally scheduled for a special fly past over Baker�s Island where the tribute was held.
But the military had other, more important plans for the famous Herc. It was assigned to 426 Training Squadron for a drop exercise at CFS Mountain View.
As much as Thursday�s ceremony paid tribute to Herc 315 itself, special attention was given to the hundreds of air force and industry personnel who have spent thousands of hours keeping the aircraft flying � everyone from mechanics and logistical staff.
�We�re here to celebrate those people,�� said Lt.-Col Bill Lewis, commanding officer of 8 Air Maintenance Squadron.
�It takes a world-class team effort. We didn�t reach this milestone without the dedication of many, many people.��
Herc 315 became part of the Canadian air transport fleet in May 1965 as part of a 20-aircraft purchase from Lockheed Aircraft in Marietta, Georgia. After serving squadrons in Edmonton and Ottawa, Herc 315 was transferred to 8 Wing in 1973.
Over its lifetime, Herc 315 has undergone more than 600 modifications, including a modern electronic warfare and countermeasures suite and armour plating to increase its serviceability in hostile environments.
As a pilot, 8 Wing Commanding Officer Col. Andre Deschamps has logged hundreds of hours on Herc 315, about 100 of those flying dangerous missions into Sarajevo at the height of the mid-1990s conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
Deschamps described the aircraft�s serviceability as outstanding.
�We never missed a single mission,�� said Deschamps following the ceremony. �Its seats may be torn, its paint a bit chipped, but it always got us back.��
While other countries had numerous aircraft in the theatre of operations, Canada had Herc 315. And while the serviceability of their aircraft was challenged, Herc 315 kept on flying, said the colonel, fondly recalling the reliability of his old plane.
�It was a real significant achievement,�� said Deschamps. �We flew three very aggressive missions a day.��
Herc 315 has flown and landed thousands of times on missions around the globe � from the heat of the African desert, to the frigid depths of Canada�s Arctic.
Base officials described the serviceability of Herc 315 as a unique achievement for both the Air Force and Lockheed Martin.
Lt.-Col. Bruce Cooke said Herc 315 has its own personality. �It has a distinct personality of reliability and steadfastness. It has flown around the world and participated in an incredible number of operations,�� said Cooke.
Cooke also paid tribute to the thousands of hours by personnel.
�This is a rich and wonderful history … a world class team that generated 45,000 flying hours … a team that has kept Herc 315 safe and operationally fit. This is a true cause for celebration.��
Herc 315 has flown into more than 50 countries around the world and has participated in hundreds of operations over its 40-year career, racking up more than 20,800 takeoffs and landings.’
Mark
Ottawa
maz2 says:

July 21, 2005 at 11:15 am

Go, Condeleeza Rice.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sudanese Security Assaults Rice Staff, Journalists
US fury as Sudan manhandles staff.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has demanded and received an apology after US officials and journalists were manhandled by Sudanese security staff.
The incidents happened as Ms Rice met President Omar al-Beshir at his Khartoum residence.
Reporters and some US officials were initially prevented from entering the meeting room by security staff.
Those who then tried to ask questions about the troubled Darfur region of Sudan were forcibly removed. Attempts were made to seize the tape recorder of at least one journalist.
Speaking after the incidents at the presidential palace, Ms Rice demanded an apology.
�It makes me very angry to be sitting with their president and have this happen,� she told reporters. �They had no right to manhandle my staff and the press.�
>>>>>>>> LGF
maz2 says:

July 21, 2005 at 11:22 am

Thank you to Mark for that tribute above to the RCAF.
Motto: Per Ardua Ad Astra.
1918 to 1939 Part 1
“Sic ltur ad Astra” was replaced by the Royal Air Force motto “Per Ardua ad Astra”
… The RCAF was unique among the air forces of the world during the …
http://www.rcafmuseum.on.ca/1918_1939_part1.htm – 11k
“Going Down”………
Mark Collins says:

July 21, 2005 at 12:31 pm

Maz2: Another factoid: The RCAF, now Canadian Air Force, is the only Commonwealth air force to have its own kilt. Apparently was demanded by some Nova Scotians during WW II.
Mark
Ottawa

5 Replies to “Airlift To Darfur”

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