Niagara helps in Haiti

by Staff Sgt. Peter Dean
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, January 21, 2010
Grand Island Dispatch, January 22, 2010
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, January 23, 2010

In the early morning hours of Jan. 16, Master Sgt. Scott Dixon, and Master Sgt. Ronald Szpaicher, loadmasters
with the 107th Airlift Wing, secure the cargo area for take-off as they prepare to leave on a mission for Haiti.

The 107th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard, along with the 914th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserves, were tasked to send two fully crewed C-130s to aid in the humanitarian efforts in Haiti.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 16, Fuzzy 90 and Bison 91 departed Niagara Falls en route to Pope AFB, N.C., where humanitarian aid and cargo were to be transferred onto the aircrafts. Upon completion, the crews were then to continue to their next destination, the devastated Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti.

“We’re going down to help people in dire need right now,” said Master Sgt. Ronald Szpaicher 107th Airlift Wing, C-130 crew chief. “We’re trying to give the people some kind of comfort and relief.”

The five-day mission was slated to have the C-130s shuttle back and forth from Port-au-Prince to Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., where the C-130s would be resupplied. This on-going mission not only supplied the inhabitants of Haiti, but also the thousands of rescue workers on scene. 

With Haiti still in chaos, the mission has been extended with the first crew coming back from Pope AFB on Thursday, and swapping out with a fresh crew, of 16.

This joint mission would not have been possible a few years ago. In response to the BRAC decision of 2005, the 107th Airlift Wing converted from the KC-135R, an air-refueling wing, to a C-130 airlift wing. Now associated with the 914th Airlift Wing, both units work together for one common goal, to provide fast, reliable worldwide airlift.

“Both units have been tasked to support this mission; it’s a combined effort between the New York Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserves,” said Col. Patrick Ginavan, 107th Airlift Wing commander. “This is a perfect example of a successful Air Reserve component partnership,” he added.

“To provide aid to this humanitarian effort is very satisfying,” said Col. Allan Swartzmiller, 914th AW, commander. “The 914th and the 107th train daily for airlift missions.”

Whether it’s a world contingency or a humanitarian effort, the men and women of the Niagara Air Reserve Station have a history of being ready and able when called upon. Sixteen airmen were involved in this mission.

“We had so many of our airmen volunteer, we had to turn people down,” Ginavan said last week. “We’re very proud of our guys.”

The C-130 Hercules is the United States Air Force’s standard intra-theater cargo aircraft and is used heavily by air forces around the world. It is capable of getting into and out of short and unimproved runways.

The C-130, powered by four turboprop engines is normally operated by a crew of five or six, a pilot and co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer, and one or two loadmasters in the back. The version flown by the 107th Airlift Wing has a top speed of 366 mph and a range of about 2,000 miles with a payload of approximately 35,000 pounds.