C-17 crew races time in Iraq-to-Texas run
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C-17 crew races time in Iraq-to-Texas run
Cracking story but rather poor show by euro ATC though - any reason for what appears to be shabby treatment of a deserving case?
edited to fix formatting
C-17 crew races time in Iraq-to-Texas run
By Jessica Johnson - The (Charleston) Post and Courier via The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Feb 11, 2007 13:47:40 EST
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A Marine was down in Iraq, his Humvee bombed. The blast burned his face and hands, and shrapnel tore his right leg and eye. He needed help fast, and medics said only one hospital could take care of his injuries, and it’s in Texas.
What happened next to Lance Cpl. Justin Ping showed the lengths the military will go to save one soldier.
Capt. Adam Bingham, a C-17 pilot based in Charleston, said it was about a month into the 14th Airlift Squadron’s deployment to Southwest Asia when he and other crew members learned they might need to fly a Marine 7,500 miles from Balad Air Base in Iraq to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
“I didn’t think much of it,” Bingham said. Patients either improve or become worse, sometimes dying in Iraq. And the details were sketchy.
Ping was riding through Fallujah on Sept. 28 when an explosive device triggered, burning and showering him with shrapnel. Army forces moved Ping from the Fallujah scene to Balad Air Base where Navy doctors stabilized him. The 20-year-old was ready for transport.
Around midnight, the 14th Airlift Squadron received word that the flight was a go. The mission included taking a near nosedive landing into Balad Air Base to avoid potential fire, transforming a C-17 into an emergency room, and an in-flight refueling to avoid a second landing.
A team of doctors monitored Ping during the 16-hour flight. The Marine was unconscious most of the flight, but he came to twice. Pilots walked to the cargo hold to thank him for his service.
“He really couldn’t talk back,” Bingham said. “I told him we were going to get him to a better place and that we were glad he was with us.”
In the air, Ping remained stable, but his right eye was in danger. Pilots tried to go faster, asking for a direct route through European air space, explaining their medical mission. But a controller responded, “Unable.”
It wasn’t that foreign controllers were rude, said 1st Lt. Michael Campbell, a Charleston Air Force pilot. “They just weren’t going out of their way to find a way.”
Above England at 26,000 feet, Capt. Charles “Spanky” Gilliam met a tanker successfully, taking on 110,000 pounds of fuel. With burns to 20 percent of his body, Ping could not survive two pressurization schedules. If the fueling would have failed, so would the mission.
Again they asked for a direct path and controllers responded, “Not at this time.”
Pilots repeated the request for a direct route once they reached American air space and explained their medical emergency. And the controller responded they could have whatever they needed.
“You could hear the emotion in the controller’s voice when he found out,” Campbell said. “You could just tell he really cared as opposed to what we heard the whole way.”
Pilots said it was an emotional moment. “There was an American spirit there that we will do whatever it takes for another American, and that’s a great thing,” Bingham said.
Ping was in San Antonio within 30 hours of his injury, which is almost unheard of, said Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of Air Mobility. Normally, it takes three days to transfer a wounded soldier from Iraq to America.
As the careers of the C-17 crew progress, the story will be one they tell every crew they fly with and every organization they end up leading, Gilliam said.
“We will tell this story to let everyone know how great a military and how great an Air Force we serve in,” Gilliam said. “It’s just one of those missions.”
Gen. McNabb, based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., retold their story Friday during the 2007 Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. Bingham and Ping reunited at the symposium.
Bingham said he wanted to see Ping again because he was touched by the young Marine’s attitude when he phoned him just before the holidays. The soldier seemed more worried about the men overseas than his injuries.
“He had been through a lot and his mind was still on his fellow soldiers,” Bingham said.
Ping said from his Orlando hotel room that he appreciates that the military did so much just for one person. “I’m extremely grateful,” Ping said. “I wasn’t all that aware when it happened, but when I look back on it, I realize it was quite a feat to get me back here as soon as they did.”
Ping’s right arm, which was severely damaged in the blast, has healed better than doctors expected. The Washington state native has nearly full range of motion and can move all his fingers.
Doctors saved Ping’s right eye but ultimately could not save the retina. Despite flawed vision, Ping remains in positive spirits. His left eye is fine and his burns have healed.
“It’s not so bad,” he said. “It could have been a whole lot worse.”
By Jessica Johnson - The (Charleston) Post and Courier via The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Feb 11, 2007 13:47:40 EST
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A Marine was down in Iraq, his Humvee bombed. The blast burned his face and hands, and shrapnel tore his right leg and eye. He needed help fast, and medics said only one hospital could take care of his injuries, and it’s in Texas.
What happened next to Lance Cpl. Justin Ping showed the lengths the military will go to save one soldier.
Capt. Adam Bingham, a C-17 pilot based in Charleston, said it was about a month into the 14th Airlift Squadron’s deployment to Southwest Asia when he and other crew members learned they might need to fly a Marine 7,500 miles from Balad Air Base in Iraq to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
“I didn’t think much of it,” Bingham said. Patients either improve or become worse, sometimes dying in Iraq. And the details were sketchy.
Ping was riding through Fallujah on Sept. 28 when an explosive device triggered, burning and showering him with shrapnel. Army forces moved Ping from the Fallujah scene to Balad Air Base where Navy doctors stabilized him. The 20-year-old was ready for transport.
Around midnight, the 14th Airlift Squadron received word that the flight was a go. The mission included taking a near nosedive landing into Balad Air Base to avoid potential fire, transforming a C-17 into an emergency room, and an in-flight refueling to avoid a second landing.
A team of doctors monitored Ping during the 16-hour flight. The Marine was unconscious most of the flight, but he came to twice. Pilots walked to the cargo hold to thank him for his service.
“He really couldn’t talk back,” Bingham said. “I told him we were going to get him to a better place and that we were glad he was with us.”
In the air, Ping remained stable, but his right eye was in danger. Pilots tried to go faster, asking for a direct route through European air space, explaining their medical mission. But a controller responded, “Unable.”
It wasn’t that foreign controllers were rude, said 1st Lt. Michael Campbell, a Charleston Air Force pilot. “They just weren’t going out of their way to find a way.”
Above England at 26,000 feet, Capt. Charles “Spanky” Gilliam met a tanker successfully, taking on 110,000 pounds of fuel. With burns to 20 percent of his body, Ping could not survive two pressurization schedules. If the fueling would have failed, so would the mission.
Again they asked for a direct path and controllers responded, “Not at this time.”
Pilots repeated the request for a direct route once they reached American air space and explained their medical emergency. And the controller responded they could have whatever they needed.
“You could hear the emotion in the controller’s voice when he found out,” Campbell said. “You could just tell he really cared as opposed to what we heard the whole way.”
Pilots said it was an emotional moment. “There was an American spirit there that we will do whatever it takes for another American, and that’s a great thing,” Bingham said.
Ping was in San Antonio within 30 hours of his injury, which is almost unheard of, said Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of Air Mobility. Normally, it takes three days to transfer a wounded soldier from Iraq to America.
As the careers of the C-17 crew progress, the story will be one they tell every crew they fly with and every organization they end up leading, Gilliam said.
“We will tell this story to let everyone know how great a military and how great an Air Force we serve in,” Gilliam said. “It’s just one of those missions.”
Gen. McNabb, based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., retold their story Friday during the 2007 Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. Bingham and Ping reunited at the symposium.
Bingham said he wanted to see Ping again because he was touched by the young Marine’s attitude when he phoned him just before the holidays. The soldier seemed more worried about the men overseas than his injuries.
“He had been through a lot and his mind was still on his fellow soldiers,” Bingham said.
Ping said from his Orlando hotel room that he appreciates that the military did so much just for one person. “I’m extremely grateful,” Ping said. “I wasn’t all that aware when it happened, but when I look back on it, I realize it was quite a feat to get me back here as soon as they did.”
Ping’s right arm, which was severely damaged in the blast, has healed better than doctors expected. The Washington state native has nearly full range of motion and can move all his fingers.
Doctors saved Ping’s right eye but ultimately could not save the retina. Despite flawed vision, Ping remains in positive spirits. His left eye is fine and his burns have healed.
“It’s not so bad,” he said. “It could have been a whole lot worse.”
edited to fix formatting
Last edited by Vortex what...ouch!; 2nd Mar 2007 at 14:33.
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I wonder if any of the refused requests for direct routings within Europe were because of military activity and/or military reserved areas, predominately utilised by the U.S. Military.
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More likely a communication failure somewhere along the line....I`ve never knowingly refused direct roueing to an air ambulance with a serious casualty....I don`t think any of us would without a bloody good reason.
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Yeah most of the time over here we move everyone out of the way of a lifeguard or medevac... It is just the way that we do stuff... It's not unusual to see someone going in opposite direction to the DFW departures bringing someone to a hospital or bringing parts... It's just all part of the job.
regards
Scott
regards
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I think it was mainly up to the military controllers in Europe whether they give a direct routeing or not. I'm pretty sure that the flight was OAT most of the time, so most of the GAT controllers had no idea about the situation, maybe not even talking to the aircraft nor having the flight plan.
I'm pretty sure if there was an opportunity and the situation was clear (eg. telling atc "we're a hospital flight") there would have been chance to go direct...
Anyway, hats off to the USAF for this mission.
I'm pretty sure if there was an opportunity and the situation was clear (eg. telling atc "we're a hospital flight") there would have been chance to go direct...
Anyway, hats off to the USAF for this mission.
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And what about the diplomatic clearances? Specially if you want to arrange a direct for military flights you get stranded by that as you quite quickly enter another country in Europe.
And even when do you get all the coordination done the flight has already let your sector.
With STS/HOSP I always try to organize a direct the pilot doesn't even have to ask.
And even when do you get all the coordination done the flight has already let your sector.
With STS/HOSP I always try to organize a direct the pilot doesn't even have to ask.
and what about all the well equipped military hosptals, several thousand miles closer to where this man was injured. European doctors are obviously not as good as American ones!
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As it's a military organisation there is, by definition often less flexibility.
During GW1, military rules enforced a very convoluted route through Benelux/German/French airspace. Maastricht controllers quickly sussed this out and were able, thanks to c-operation of all concerned, to organize shorter, "illegal" routings. direct from NEPTU to the south of France .
If we don't know we can't help. Our attitude, when possible, was always "direct the outer Marker and we'll sort it out"
During GW1, military rules enforced a very convoluted route through Benelux/German/French airspace. Maastricht controllers quickly sussed this out and were able, thanks to c-operation of all concerned, to organize shorter, "illegal" routings. direct from NEPTU to the south of France .
If we don't know we can't help. Our attitude, when possible, was always "direct the outer Marker and we'll sort it out"
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Lon More, methinks you are talking tripe. The military is imminently flexible, we generally get stuffed by civil rules!! For GW1 the problem was that individual states when issuing diplomatic clearances often stipulated the routes that bombed-up aircraft had to follow. Indeed, some states wouldn't even allow over-flights, even for military aeromedical aircraft! I can't comment on why this particular aircraft didn't get direct over England but would offer that the fact it had to tank somewhere may have affected the route.
PS. If the civil controllers would like/agree to do some AAR or formation stuff, feel free to file for the 'more expeditous' GAT route next time.
PS. If the civil controllers would like/agree to do some AAR or formation stuff, feel free to file for the 'more expeditous' GAT route next time.
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Sounds to me like either journalistic or American sensationalism - yet again.
One of the first statements -
Complete and utter horse manure!!
The whole report is littered with phrases designed to 'big up' (in todays yoof speak) the Americans at the expense of others.
A great feel good story to sell to a gullible (American) public, but obviously it was a slow news day.
One of the first statements -
He needed help fast, and medics said only one hospital could take care of his injuries, and it’s in Texas.
The whole report is littered with phrases designed to 'big up' (in todays yoof speak) the Americans at the expense of others.
A great feel good story to sell to a gullible (American) public, but obviously it was a slow news day.
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Surprised
Don't know the details of this particular story but I've been doing hospital\medevac flights with my air force for a couple of years throughout europe at strange times, with "dodgy" non-existent flight plans, lots of changes of route destination inflight and controllers always helped a lot......sometimes even cooperated breaking one or two rules to get a person needing an urgent transplant on the ground.
I'm sure there must be a reason; on the other hand my boss never went to any Airwarfare symposium telling about that time I or anybody else in the squadron did....what we and every professional aviator do everyday.
Be aware of the local rural america newspaper! As you probably know Charleston is a c17 base.
Ciao
I'm sure there must be a reason; on the other hand my boss never went to any Airwarfare symposium telling about that time I or anybody else in the squadron did....what we and every professional aviator do everyday.
Be aware of the local rural america newspaper! As you probably know Charleston is a c17 base.
Ciao
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London Mil. Don't see anywhere that UK was mentioned in this thread.
Not tripe, fact. Coming from UK through the Netherlands the TACAN route followed in the case I mentioned was over Gilze into Germany; turn south at NOR then via NTM to LUXIE. Then again to the South into France where towards DIJ.
Flight plan data was passed by Dutch Mil to Lippe and was correlated on our displays Our initiative, when all the airspace was delegated to us, one phone call turn him direct DIJ. We knew it would be accepted down the line. Track distance normally saved only about 100n.m., but multiply it by the number of flights.
The military controllers had been instructed not to ask for direct routings.
Possibly the "imminently flexible" UK mil. gets stuffed by their civil counterparts,
I'm no longer in a position to say.
FWIW I spent my early career "down the hole" at Southern Radar, so have seen the military mind in action there
Not tripe, fact. Coming from UK through the Netherlands the TACAN route followed in the case I mentioned was over Gilze into Germany; turn south at NOR then via NTM to LUXIE. Then again to the South into France where towards DIJ.
Flight plan data was passed by Dutch Mil to Lippe and was correlated on our displays Our initiative, when all the airspace was delegated to us, one phone call turn him direct DIJ. We knew it would be accepted down the line. Track distance normally saved only about 100n.m., but multiply it by the number of flights.
The military controllers had been instructed not to ask for direct routings.
Possibly the "imminently flexible" UK mil. gets stuffed by their civil counterparts,
I'm no longer in a position to say.FWIW I spent my early career "down the hole" at Southern Radar, so have seen the military mind in action there
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He needed help fast, and medics said only one hospital could take care of his injuries, and it’s in Texas.
Very strange. I'd expect the best hospital to be in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or the like? (Certainly the best money could buy).
Anyway, if American military pilots (even 1'st Lt. pilots worth their salt) dare speak up about an "EMERGENCY/MAYDAY/HOSPITAL FLIGHT and the like", they get priority in our part of European airspace.
Mysteriouser and mysteriouser?
How about mil. hospitals in Europe (including G.B.)? Or for that matter The U.S. Navy (and the carriers?)
Best regards
P.S. But 1'st Lt. pilots would never declare an emergency.... better die in silence
Very strange. I'd expect the best hospital to be in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or the like? (Certainly the best money could buy).
Anyway, if American military pilots (even 1'st Lt. pilots worth their salt) dare speak up about an "EMERGENCY/MAYDAY/HOSPITAL FLIGHT and the like", they get priority in our part of European airspace.
Mysteriouser and mysteriouser?
How about mil. hospitals in Europe (including G.B.)? Or for that matter The U.S. Navy (and the carriers?)
Best regards
P.S. But 1'st Lt. pilots would never declare an emergency.... better die in silence
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I suspect the news article is about as accurate as any similar article written for those high quality tabloids such as the Sun or Mirror here in the UK.
Hospital flights filed as Hospital flights get afforded High priority throughout Europe and i doubt his life was in danger as there are perfectly adequate Military Hospitals throughout Europe he could have attended if not a Civilian one.
Hospital flights filed as Hospital flights get afforded High priority throughout Europe and i doubt his life was in danger as there are perfectly adequate Military Hospitals throughout Europe he could have attended if not a Civilian one.
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Lon More
Last time I looked England was still in the UK. We haven't quite sold our souls to George W yet.
Southern Radar, didn't we get rid of that in 1974?
Above England at 26,000 feet, Capt. Charles “Spanky” Gilliam met a tanker successfully, taking on 110,000 pounds of fuel. With burns to 20 percent of his body, Ping could not survive two pressurization schedules. If the fueling would have failed, so would the mission.
Again they asked for a direct path and controllers responded, “Not at this time.”
Again they asked for a direct path and controllers responded, “Not at this time.”
Southern Radar, didn't we get rid of that in 1974?
Last edited by London Mil; 8th Mar 2007 at 09:17.
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Apologies, I somehow missed that as Europe was stated elsewhere.
sorry.
Sopley closed in about '74; was long gone by then - it's now a document depository. Since then the accommodation blocks were variously used as a holiday camp(?) and a reception centre for immigrants I believe.
Not much of a short cut available in UK airspace anyway. OEP would be about it I guess.
Does the US still maintain the Military hospital near Ramstein. Understood it was one of the best equipped to deal with battle trauma
sorry. Sopley closed in about '74; was long gone by then - it's now a document depository. Since then the accommodation blocks were variously used as a holiday camp(?) and a reception centre for immigrants I believe.
Not much of a short cut available in UK airspace anyway. OEP would be about it I guess.
Does the US still maintain the Military hospital near Ramstein. Understood it was one of the best equipped to deal with battle trauma
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Actually the hospital that they are talking about is a specialized military burn hospital, and it is the BEST in the country. Being that they had to bring them to a US military hospital, this was the best place to bring him... Not saying that there aren't good hospitals all over, but they normally bring folks to US military hospitals, and this one is indeed the best in 'OUR" country... We even bring really bad civilian cases to this place from time to time...
regards
Scott
regards
Scott