Icelandic Air Policing is adrenaline rush

by Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Wilson

48th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

5/19/2014 - KEFLAVIK, Iceland  -- Airmen deployed to Keflavik, Iceland, with the 48th Air Expeditionary Group are prepared to execute the NATO mission of protecting Iceland's Airspace at a moments notice.

While deployed for Icelandic Air Policing, the group is responsible for intercepting any unidentified or threatening aircraft that may trespass into Iceland's airspace.

"The alert is more exciting, but it's also more stressful," Capt. Matt Tanis, 48th Air Expeditionary Group F-15C Eagle pilot, said of the mission. "You have a lot more that could go wrong."

Though the alert calls may be stressful, they can also be a rush.

"(It's a) flat out adrenaline rush -- horn goes off, everybody's running -- you hop into the van and then tires are squealing and you're getting out the jet," he said. "It feels like you are running into a football game or basketball game or something like that; you get that same sort of rush getting out to the jet."

During normal operations at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, from where the pilots and maintainers deployed, there is much more preparation time before flights.

"It's a totally different atmosphere," Tanis said. "This is anytime, be ready to go and very, very quickly.

"So normally we step out the door and take off about 30 minutes later and on alert, anywhere between five and 10 minutes you are in the air."

The alert crews are able to takeoff so quickly because of a process called "hot cocking." Once the crews are put on alert status, the pilots and maintainers prepare the aircraft by running through the preflight checklist and setting flight controls to make the cockpit hot for takeoff.

"Everything will be ready to go. All (the pilot) will have to do is just turn the jet on and we'll arm it and they're good to go," said Airman 1st Class Gumecindo Bravo, 48th Air Expeditionary Group crew chief. "It's an adrenaline rush. We have 15 minutes from the time when the alarm goes off to get the jet in the air."

Tanis said because of Iceland's relatively remote location, that 15 minute-response time allows the crews to effectively intercept any threats before they get too close to the country's coastline.

However, the pilot would not be in the air so quickly were it not for the efforts of the maintenance crew.

"I feel like just a small part of it being the pilot -- I jump in the front seat pull the handle and there's six guys swarming around me getting the jet ready to go. So for all that to happen so quickly was pretty awesome."

The 48th Air Expeditionary Group will be performing Icelandic Air Policing until early June.