Travis crew pilots first C-5 to land at base in northern Afghanistan

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE,Calif. --  TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A 15-person crew from Travis' 22nd Airlift Squadron recently piloted the first C-5 Galaxy to land at Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.

The crew delivered goods to help with the Operation Enduring Freedom mission in Afghanistan.

"It's the tip of the iceberg of what's possible at that base," said Lt. Col. Chris Colbert, commander of the 22 AS. "It's important to get that place supplied and built up, like the rest of Afghanistan. We're trying to make sure they don't have any weak points in the country."

Camp Marmal has been under construction during the last few years, with a recently completed addition being a runway long enough to support the landing of a C-5, Colonel Colbert said.

Adding to the difficulty was the fact that the pilots were without some of their typical visual aids for landing. The aircraft was without the use of radar approach, meaning the 22 AS arrival and touch down were done via radio communication with the tower and the plane's instrumental panels, Colonel Colbert said.

He added there is always a certain level of nervousness when attempting to land on an unknown runway in a potentially hostile environment.

"We go in to Bagram and Kandahar so much that there's a certain comfort factor," he said. "We know to look at this town and this village as we're coming in. There's a feeling we need to be scanning everything on a trip like this because you've never flown over this town or this ridgeline before."

Staff Sgt. Ryan Padgett, a member of the 22 Airlift Squadron, said sending a C-5 to the German-occupied NATO base in the northern, mountainous portion of the Southwest Asian country is a sign of stabilization in the region.

"It's a good barometer of the battlefield," he said. "It shows we're making progress."

The mission took place earlier this year.

Master Sgt. Eric Troutt, the primary engineer, said that because the squadron is routinely traversing the globe in support of Air Mobility Command missions, there was an element of familiarity to the journey.

While Sergeant Troutt may be well-accustomed to such a venture, he said that for many of the Germans controlling the base, it marked the first time they viewed a C-5 in person.

When we arrived, many of the Germans came out to take photographs, he said.

Adding an element to the trip was the fact it was Sergeant Troutt's "fini flight," marking his final trip as a member of the Armed Forces.

"It was nice to have guys I respected and wanted to share this flight with me," he said. (For more, see sidebar.)

Colonel Colbert said he was happy that the 22 AS had an opportunity to help push the presence of NATO and the United States in Afghanistan.

"It's nice not doing the same old job every day," he said. "It's really one of the more rewarding jobs we can do."