Elmendorf fighters take up winter refuge at JBPH-H

by Tech. Sgt. Terri Paden
15th Wing Public Affairs

3/17/2014 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Having 365 days of tropical weather makes Hawaii not only an ideal place for a beach vacation; it provides optimal working conditions for flying units needing to escape wintry weather impeding upon their training mission.

One such unit taking advantage of the warmer temperatures is the 525th Fighter Squadron out of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, on temporary duty to JBPH-H for "Operation Cope Thaw."

According to Maj. Ryan Wick, an F-22 Raptor pilot with the 525th FS, prior to arriving at JBPH-H for Cope Thaw on March 1, not a single pilot in their unit at home was combat-mission ready for various reasons - one of them being weather related cancellation of sorties.

"Alaska is a great place to fly.  The airspace is unmatched and the local community is extremely supportive," said Wick. "However, there are unique challenges when it comes to the weather.  On average our pilots fly eight sorties a month. That's what it takes to be considered combat mission ready. But due to weather attrition this season, we were averaging four or five sorties a month, so when we arrived here March 1 the entire squadron was Non-Combat Mission Ready."

Wick said the unit typically supports two flying periods a day, but due to weather conditions beyond their control, there are times when flying just isn't safe.

"We'll fly in negative 30 degrees, but snow, fog, low clouds and freezing rain force us to ground the jets and it is difficult to get lost sorties back," he said.

But temporarily relocating operations to Hawaii has made all the difference. After only one week on island, the unit has already seen one pilot attain the required amount of flying time--an achievement Wick said is virtually unprecedented.

"We brought 12 pilots here, and if things go as planned we should leave here with 12 pilots fully combat mission ready," he said. "In only two weeks we'll accomplish what usually takes a month."
Wick attributes the unit's raging success during Cope Thaw to more than just blue skies.

"We haven't lost a single sortie due to maintenance," he said. "Our goal is to fly 100 percent of our maintenance contracted sorties and since we've been here, we've flown 100 percent. We've seen absolutely phenomenal maintenance work."

Though maintenance on the jets isn't directly impacted by the weather, Master Sgt. Jason Schmidt, 525th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron lead production superintendent, said being on temporary duty to Hawaii has boosted the team's productivity.

"The maintenance is all the same regardless of where we are, but I'm sure the warm weather makes us more productive," he said. "The guys' spirits are up, everybody's in a good mood ... you can't beat it. It's a morale booster. The winter in Alaska is long so it's nice to get to work in sunny weather in the middle of the winter."

In fact, being TDY to Hawaii has even brought the team closer together.

"There's been extraordinary teamwork to get the mission accomplished here," he said. "We're all here working together toward the same goal so some folks have had to step outside of their comfort zones to help out in other specialties. You've got folks from different career fields working together to learn what other people on the team do. It's been a good learning experience for everyone because the dynamic here is different than back home."

The coincidental timing of Cope Thaw also created another training opportunity for the unit to take full advantage of--participating in Sentry Aloha 2014. The ongoing aerial combat exercise provides an opportunity for the F-22 unit to maximize the weather here and to train with many of the dissimilar aircraft on the island in support of the exercise.

Capt. Patrick Kellerman, 525th Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge, said Cope Thaw's success has truly been an all-around team effort.

"The host unit has been really supportive," he said. "We could not have done this without them. It's because of them we are even able to be at 100 percent of our sorties. They've helped us out by sharing their infrastructure and providing us equipment we weren't able to bring down here."

After seeing just how beneficial using the airspace in Hawaii can be, Wick said he hopes the unit is able to continue pursuing opportunities like this for many years to come.