Episode #11: Blackhawk Helicopter Ride to Ft Hood Texas

 In 2001 I was still working for Redi Mix Concrete as Vice President of Operations and one of my areas of responsibilities was that of plant maintenance. At that time we operated twelve concrete batch plants and I had a crew of four men that were true blacksmiths, that is they could fix almost anything. They had to be part mechanic, welder, plumber, electrician, fabricator and electronics engineers. They were an amazing group of men and I was proud to work with them.

One of the guys in that group was in the Army Guard Reserve, and we would lose him one weekend a month and two weeks at a time during the summer for his AT (annual training). His MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was M1 Armor Crewman, he worked on a tank crew. This is what my older brother did while he was in the Army. He was dedicated to his military commitment and I never gave him grief or made it hard for him to be gone during these times and was proud to be able to help him when I could. As his employer I felt it was the least I could do.

After working for me for about 4 years he asked me if I would like to take part in a program called ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) that would allow me to spend a day at Ft Hood during his AT that summer and I jumped at the chance. He said I would spend day touring the tank range and get a close up look at them as well as the Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) which are both amazing battle field weapons for our military. These truly are assault weapons! And as a huge plus the Army would provide transportation with a ride to and from the training grounds in a Blackhawk helicopter!

I had signed all of the releases and disclaimers and the day was here and I was excited. I arrived at Meacham Field in north Ft Worth before 7 am as directed. I was introduced to a lot of folks that were  there for this same event, received several minutes of instructions and was transported to an area north and east of the terminal of this small airport. There I see two 2 Blackhawk helicopters staged and ready to go. We receive some more instructions, issued ear plugs as the doors would be open because it was July, it was Texas and it was going to be a very warm ride of about 45 minutes.

We gather for a group photo (I am second from the left on the first row in this picture) then we are divided into groups and climb into the helicopters, put in our earplugs and strap in. This is my first time to fly in a helicopter and it is a Blackhawk and I have to say I am excited! Of the things I have done, this will always remain a great memory. What an opportunity for me!

In short order, we fire up and take off. It was an exhilarating experience and it was indeed loud and glad to have the earplugs. There was no conversation other than hand signals and motions. It was overcast that morning and we were flying into a strong south wind which resulted in pretty bumpy ride all the way to Ft Hood. The wind was so strong I could feel the tail rotor constantly correcting the direction in a bit of a whipping motion and with the low cloud overcast that morning our altitude was not as high as I thought it might be. 

After 45 minutes of this bumpy, whipping and hot ride I am beginning to wish I had skipped the eggs and sausage breakfast earlier that morning as I had never before experienced motion sickness while flying. With the strong wind we were against, I guess our air speed was not as fast as they had planned. After 55 minutes the soldier at the gunnery door looks back and holds up five fingers which I take to mean we are five minutes away. We land in an big open field to a bunch of jeeps that are there to transport us to the tank range.  

We spend the next few hours watching and learning about tanks, their history and their use in military operations. After a close up look at this equipment and see the fire power they possess, I now understand what a formidable weapon they truly are. We would stand a good distance behind them when they would fire and the concussion was absolutely overwhelming. Then, when the round hit it's target nearly a mile down the range the explosion and impact was amazing. No wonder these beasts have helped to win wars and defend positions world wide. After this, the Army treated us to a meal on the grounds, an amazing culinary delight known as the Meals Ready to Eat (MRE). A complete self contained meal that will heat itself and provide a fairly tasty meal. Afterwards we got to see the Bradley range and watch them work. They are impressive no doubt, but the M1 tank is a hard act to follow. I was able to catch up to my guy while we were there and visited with him for a bit then we head back to the helicopters.

The trip back was exactly that - a real trip! The tour guide that we met upon arrival thanked us for visiting and the role the employers play in the life of reservists. He asked if anyone was prone to motion sickness and nobody spoke up (I certainly was not going to say anything about my near episode this morning). He said they would like to demonstrate the power and the ability of the Blackhawk with what they call tree top maneuvers. So we take off and the demonstration was about what you would expect, low altitude high speed movements that were quick and harsh at times but impressive. This goes on for about 10 minutes and then we gain a little altitude, maybe 100' and we are flying straight along beside the other Blackhawk. I sense something was about to happen as we approach this huge hill located on tank range.

I was right, if we would have continued straight on the current path, we would have crashed into that hill, then suddenly both helicopters hit an incredible speed, and like a rocket we were going straight up! I do not know how high we were for sure in just a very few moments but would estimate 10k-12k feet at least. The hot summer air was suddenly cold! The trajectory flattened and we were horizontal again  and we were moving north extremely fast. The power of that machine was amazing. We land at Meacham Airport in about 20 minutes. Man what a rush! Shortly after we landed I had a massive headache and I attributed it to altitude sickness from the quick ascent without a pressurized cabin.

What an amazing day and an amazing opportunity, one that I will always remember and will always grateful.

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