capital flying - air force magazine...ch-21s and four sikorsky h-19s. thirty people manned the unit....

AIR FORCE Magazine / January 200152

The 1st Helicopter Squadron provides critical transportation ona moment’s notice.

Photographs by Guy Aceto, Art Director, and Paul Kennedy

Capital FlyingA UH-1N Huey from the 1st Helicopter Squadron, Andrews AFB, Md., flies overthe Washington, D.C., area on a medical evacuation training flight to theNational Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md.


AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2001 53

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They have transported VIPs, flownmedical evacuations, partici-pated in dramatic rescues, and

garnered many awards along theway. The 1st Helicopter Squadron isamong the special air mission units

of the 89th Airlift Wing at AndrewsAFB that provide safe, reliable, and

high-priority air transportation forVIPs in the Washington, D.C., area.In July 1957, for example, the unit

became the first helicopter squadronto fly an American President, landing

on the White House lawn to pick upDwight D. Eisenhower.

The aircraft are cocked—alreadyprepared with certain switches setahead of time, to make a departure

as quick as possible.

Over the years it has transportedsuch dignitaries as Lord Mount-batten of Great Britain, PrinceBernhardt of the Netherlands, andGen. of the Army Omar Bradley.

The squadron keeps aircraft andalert crews always ready for suchmissions. The crews regularlypractice dashing to the airplane.They work closely with the NationalPark Service, area hospitals, andother helicopter units in the nationalcapital region. At left, a crew runs toan alert helo already set up by fast-acting crew chiefs.

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The crews know every paved runwayand grass strip in the area and fly

anywhere within a 200-mile radius ofthe Military District of Washington.

Medical evacuations have takenthem to facilities in cities such as

Pittsburgh and Christiana, Del.

At top, a 1st Helo aircraft touchesdown at a small local airport. Below,

SrA. Bob Angel scans the horizon,keeping an eye out for other aircraft,

birds, and—since the aircraft isflying at about 500 feet—radio

station towers, antennas, and othertall objects.

At left is an aerial view of Bethesdahospital. A staff neonatologist atBethesda can make a call directly tothe squadron’s flight surgeon, whowill quickly confirm the need for airevac for a critically ill or prematureinfant. Help is on the way withinminutes.

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The 1st Helo was first organized atAndrews in August 1955 as the

1401st Helicopter Flight. Then, theunit flew two Piasecki/Boeing Vertol

CH-21s and four Sikorsky H-19s.Thirty people manned the unit.

Today, it has 19 twin engine UH-1NHueys and is staffed by just under

200 people.

The unit’s self-sustaining mainte-nance organization is coupled with

complete avionics, instrument repair,and even sheet metal shops. A

supply section maintains what theunit calls “one of the most resource-

ful parts stocks within a singleorganization.” In 1994, the squadronstarted a section to fabricate its ownaircraft seats and interiors. At right,

SrA. Shane Barrious works in thesheet metal shop.

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The squadron won the USAF FlyingSafety Award in 1963 and has sinceearned many safety and maintenanceawards. The unit reached more than199,000 hours of accident-free flyingin December, an important measurefor a unit that transports more than700 dignitaries a year.

Skilled personnel like TSgt. KevinKline, working on an engine at left,are key to this safety and reliabilityrecord. They allow many tasks—some of them practically depot-levelmaintenance—to be completed inhouse.


The helicopter crews are treated to apanoramic view of the city, its

monuments, and landmarks—theWhite House to the left of the newly

renovated Washington Monument (inthe top photo) and the Jefferson

Memorial at right. Reagan NationalAirport in the background at right is

a reminder that the squadron’s pilotsfly in a heavy traffic area for a

variety of aircraft.

The missions don’t all involve viewsof landmarks. The 1st Helicopter

Squadron has carried out operationsas varied as dropping supplies to

snowbound residents in a 1966blizzard; helping apprehend a bank

robber in 1976; assisting rescueefforts when an Air Florida 737

crashed into Washington, D.C.’s

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14th Street Bridge in 1982; and flyinga medical evacuation in 1995 with100-foot ceilings and visibility ofless than a mile—a feat for which thecrew received several awards.

At left, two views of the PotomacRiver as it winds its way south andwith a college crew team training onits waters.


The unit’s mission control sectiondirects and monitors day-to-day

flying operations.

At right, one of the first people to getthe call for a mission is TSgt. Gail

Howard, who is jotting down infor-mation at the squadron’s command

center. There is constant contactwith aircraft out on sorties and the

helicopters on the ground.

Traffic in Washington underlines theneed for quick, safe, and reliable

transportation to and from placeslike the Pentagon, whose helipad

(above) is tucked between the five-sided building and an interstate.

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Squadron members meticulouslyplan. But a typical day at 1st Helooften involves last-minute changes.No matter how carefully the crewshave planned a mission—maybeeven making a practice run to thelanding site to be used—they mightwell have to reassess the flight planor cancel the mission altogether.Flexibility is the watchword whentransporting high-level decision-makers or responding to emergen-cies.

Here, 1st Helo members SrA. ShaneMitchell (left) and Capts. MikeKardoes (middle) and Dale Linafeltergo over mission plans.

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Above, a squadron helicopter makesits final approach into Andrews at

the end of another sortie.

Helicopter crews must maintain ahigh level of combat preparedness.

Many come from or will go to theSpecial Operations Forces or rescue

communities. The squadron hasadded night flights and Night Vision

Goggles training to its schedule.

At right, Lt. Donald Snyder, Lina-felter, and SSgt. John Rupprecht

stop for a photo before heading intoan evening with NVGs.

Although it’s the secondary mis-sions of VIP flights, medical evacua-

tions, and search-and-rescueassistance that are the daily fare at1st Helo, the unit’s primary mission

is to support DoD contingency plansfor transport of key governmentofficials should a national emer-gency arise.

Whatever the duty, members of the1st Helicopter Squadron live up to itsunit motto, “First and Foremost.”

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capital flying - air force magazine...ch-21s and four sikorsky h-19s. thirty people manned the unit....

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