Prop planes OK’d for Africa duty

[unhappycamper]

Prop planes OK’d for Africa duty
Staff report
Posted : Tuesday Jan 8, 2008 12:36:07 EST

Airmen working missions in Africa are now cleared to charter civilian prop planes in lieu of flying on heavy C-130 Hercules cargo jets.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates signed a waiver allowing airmen working Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, headquartered in Djibouti, to fly on small, civilian propeller planes. This is a boon to airmen working there, who have typically had to enter remote locations via long road trips on bumpy roads.

“In areas ... that are fairly austere, we just don’t have the capability to land some of the combat aircraft we have,” said Col. John Crocker, the task force’s Air Component Coordination Element director and 449th Air Expeditionary Group commander. “A C-130 can go lots of places, but a small, narrow dirt strip isn’t going to work for a C-130, which is why using smaller planes to transport personnel and goods is essential to the mission.”

A small airline out of Kenya has been contracted to fly its six, twin-engine prop planes for U.S. military personnel. Using civilian airlines such as this one costs roughly $1,800 an hour, as opposed to $3,000 to $4,000 per hour for a Hercules jet.

“The program frees up some of the combat aircraft to stay in combat,” Crocker said. “This extended reach will help those who are out there digging wells and looking after livestock and making a difference among the villages.”


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/01/airforce_africa_planes_080108w/