Training while killing biters

by Eric M. White
910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

6/11/2013 - GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Roaring overhead at more than 200 mph, 100 feet above watery areas of Williston, N.D. and Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., Air Force Reserve C-130H Hercules aircraft from Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, provided much needed relief during aerial spray missions May 28 to June 7, 2013.

Citizen Airmen from the Air Force Reserve's 757th Airlift Squadron at YARS, home to the Department of Defense's only fixed-wing aerial spray capability, deployed on the mission to train aircrew, pest management personnel and maintenance members in control of nuisance and disease-carrying mosquitoes.

The crews applied larvicide, designed to kill mosquitoes before they're able to fly, in order to improve working conditions and lower risk of vector-borne illness to individuals working and living in and around Williston Army Corps of Engineers property, Williston, N.D., and here.

The Williston region of North Dakota has long had mosquito problems because the Missouri River often floods low-lying areas in the Spring, while Grand Forks AFB is prone to standing water that multiplies mosquito populations. The aerial spray missions' purpose was to lower the number of mosquito bite-related irritations and infections and minimize the threat of West Nile Virus while offering real-world training to the Airmen and other parties conducting the mission.

The highly technical missions required coordination between aircrew flying the C-130s and pest management personnel on the ground and with civilian air traffic to de-conflict airspace. Air Force Reserve Maj. Kirk Mundal, 757th Airlift Squadron entomologist, helped provide coordination by providing ground support and conducted pest population monitoring prior to and after the mission to measure effectiveness.

Maj. Joe George, 757th Airlift Squadron pilot, served as mission commander.

"We had a very successful mission," said George. "The people were very happy to see us and there was a great response. North Dakota had a very wet season, and that creates perfect conditions for a lot of mosquitoes."

The aerial spray team flew 56.3 hours during the operational portion of the missions, covering 8,024 acres.