AF resources for para training.....split for C-27 thread

[kj_gully]

face it my Airborne brother, the days of mass drops of lightly armed shock troops will shortly be replaced with the ominous "whup whup whup" of large twin rotor helicopters flying dangerously low in the pre dawn gloom. Remuster for tons of canopy time. 

 

[Globesmasher]

Never heard it called a Golden Wedge though. Have we lost this capability altogether?

That is it's full formal name.  The Golden Wedge.  It was designed by Sgt Golden ..... but everyone just calls it "The Wedge".

We have pretty much lost the capability.  "Per/Wedge drops" had a Flight Safety moratorium placed upon by Commander 1 Cdn Air Div shortly after a few malfunctions that lead to some damage to the aircraft.  The moratorium came about in the 2002/2003 timeframe.

The system wasn't designed for repeated racetracks with the D-bags trailing behind the aircraft.  It was designed for one pass with the wedge load going first, and then 3 seconds later the pers would dispatch "double door".  One single pass over the DZ and the whole load would be dropped.  The LMs would then go about their D-bag retrieval operations and the aircraft would clean up, accelerate and depart the DZ.

During training .... training of several LMs and JMs all at the same time with limited resources ......  repeated racetracks were flown round and round the DZ with trailing D-bags which ultimately resulted in some of the D-bags becoming snagged on the wedge system, the edge of the ramp roller system and the cargo ramp assembly.  When the LMs used the winches to retrieve the D-bags the snagged D-bag and static line would tighten and in a couple of instances the electric winch was torn off the front bulkhead.  During the last incident the crew simply couldn't retrieve the D-bags on one side despite their best efforts, and wisely ceased using the winch before it too was torn off the front 245 bulkhead.  The aircraft landed with trailing D bags and static lines and some damage to the cargo ramp and door.

The Commander felt it was time to stop the Pers/Wedge drops until something could be done to stop this "snagging".

During 2002 - 2006, CPC (CFLAWC) and TRSET staffed several attempts to reinstate the Pers/Wedge drop with a simple procedural change.  It didn't work and the repeated reinstatement attempts were faced with frustration, especially as each winter season rolled around.  I know you guys pack your winter survival gear in those toboggans, and without them .... well there's not much of an option without them.

Since my last attempt to get the Wedge going again was met with a resounding "No, no money no time, not a priority, no ...." .... well, I have pretty much given up.  I simply don't know what to do.  I have also urged the CFLAWC staff to push the issue on the "Green side" of the coin since I have not met with much success on the Blue side.  They too have become frustrated and disappointed in the lack of positive movement with respect to reinstating this capability.

Now, pretty much all the original aircrew, those who have dropped Pers/Wedge previously, have gone.  There is basically just a handful .... 4 or 5 guys ... who have experience dropping via the wedge in the Air Force.  In a few more months there will be nobody left who has experience with this equipment.

Shame really.  :'(

 

[daftandbarmy]

Madness... it only takes a few weeks to train hammerheads like me to jump out of a plane, but it's the whole LM/JM thing that makes the airborne option a viable one.

What are other countries doing? I assume that the US and UK amongst others can do this wedge thing? Maybe we should start a petition....