Griffons training in Arizona

Thank goodness for the Yuma Sun [via GAP at Milnet.ca]:

Canadian pilots train for desert dust

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LOANED PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. AARON DIAMANT

CH-146 GRIFFONS from the Royal Canadian Air Force's No. 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron land on the flightline at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma on Aug. 9.

One man's desert is another man's training ground.

About 70 personnel with the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF [if only]) No. 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron were at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma this month to train in desert conditions to prepare them for a trip to Afghanistan in the fall

[This will be the squadron's second tour, lots of further links on our choppers in Afstan at link--and see also "Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan" here; composition of next Army roto here.]

The group practiced landing in brownout conditions, or when the helicopter kicks up dust while landing, said Lt. Col. Jeff Smyth, commanding officer with 408. They arrived Aug. 9.

"I think it really gets the guys a little more comfortable with what they're going to face overseas for nine months," he said.

Smyth said the helicopters blow a lot of air around, and when they're landing in dusty conditions such as Afghanistan, it can be dangerous and prevent the pilots from seeing.

"(The helicopter) is blowing 11,000 pounds of air, it stirs up a lot of dust," Smyth said. "It takes a fair amount of training to do that without crashing, essentially."

With the squadron's upcoming deployment to support NATO's International Security Assistance Force, it's essential that they practice in similar conditions.

"Afghanistan is very, very dusty," Smyth said.

In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where the squadron is based, it's not.

"At home, we don't have the dusty desert conditions that exist down here, so we come to give the crew some practice landing in the dust," he said.

The group brought four helicopters to Yuma and also got exposure to another element the area is known for: heat...