PINHEIRO DA CRUZ, PRAIA DA RAPOSA, Portugal -- U.S. Marine landing support specialists with the Landing Support Detachment,
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162
(Reinforced), embarked aboard the USS Arlington (LPD 24), rehearsed sling
loading a M105 trailer during a helicopter support team mission at
Pinheiro Da Cruz, Praia Da Raposa Beach, Portugal, Oct. 22, 2015, while
participating in Trident Juncture 15.
It was the first time performing
an HST on a beach for all Marines participating in the training, said Sgt.
Cameron Voshage, a platoon sergeant with the detachment.
The weight of
the load determines the type of sling being used. The total weight loaded during
the training was about 2,200 pounds. The slings are rated for 10,000 pounds,
15,000 pounds, 25,000 pounds, and 40,000 pounds. During this training exercise,
the team utilized the versatile 25,000 pound sling.
"Preparation time
varies for setting up the gear to be lifted," said Voshage. “In a nutshell, we
find out what the squadron wants to lift and then we get set up for a lift
mission. Once the load is prepped, we get the proper linkage count and set up
the chains, check over it one more time, get our static wand grounded, and
perform the lift.”
Preparing the load for a lift is dependent upon what the load is.
For example, trailers and vehicles with brakes require the braking mechanism to
be locked so that the equipment will not shift in flight. If a load has glass
windows or panes, the team places tape on the glass in case it breaks. Tape
prevents the glass from falling in the rotor wash of the helicopter and hitting
the Marines below.
The cargo can be a multitude of items, including
Humvees, M777 howitzers, water bowls, trailers, cargo nets containing items or
just about anything with lift points, said Voshage.
Prior to deploying
with the 26th MEU, landing support Marines practiced HST missions carrying 500
gallons of water in a bubble-shaped sack in preparation for possible
humanitarian aid missions.
HST missions are not the only types of
missions landing support Marines perform. They execute port operations group,
beach operations group, rail-road operations group, and evacuation control
center missions. All these missions have the same objective, getting Marines,
cargo and equipment from one point to another as quickly and safely as
possible.
“I like the helicopter support team missions,” said Voshage.
“It’s one of the more fun parts of our job; especially now with the scenery in
Portugal. I’ve never done one on the beach next to the water, so it was
certainly one of the more enjoyable times I’ve performed an HST. We usually lift
steel beams at a landing zone near [Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.], but the foundation of
the training is still the same.”
The foundations of HST missions are
learned during a one-month course aboard Camp Johnson, N.C. at the Landing
Support Specialists School. During school, the Marines learn the lift and
load capabilities for a variety of Marine aircraft. Marines also learn the
safety precautions for hooking a load to a helicopter, how to prepare a load,
the four different jobs under the helicopter, and practical application in order
to successfully complete an HST mission.
The four different roles of
landing support Marines under a helicopter are outside director, inside
director, hook-up man and static man. During the loading, the inside director
guides the pilots to hover over the load, while the outside director mimics the
hand and arm signals as a back-up in case the inside director cannot be seen.
The hook-up man attaches the sling apex to the helicopter’s dangling hooks. The
apex is the center point where all the sling legs join together. Simultaneously,
the static man grounds out static electricity from the helicopter with a static
wand, which is a modified electrical cable attached to a metal rod that is
inserted into the ground. Applying a ground to the helicopter reduces static
electricity generated by the rotor blades. When the static man hooks the static
wand to the dangling hooks, he lessens the chance of the hook-up man being
shocked while connecting the sling.
The static electricity generated by
a CH-53E Super Stallion’s rotor blades can reach 200,000 volts.
“The day
you think you’ve mastered it, is the day you get hurt,” said Lance Cpl. Dustin
Mason, a landing support specialist with the detachment. “I’m not necessarily
worried while going under the bird, but I do go through a mental checklist and
keep my head on a swivel in order to watch out for myself and the guys around
me. After completing so many HST missions, it’s become second nature to perform
under the helicopter. Everyone did great today, we’ve done enough HST missions
that its instinct for everyone. Overall the training was successful, we know now
what gear to bring to reduce being blasted by the sand, and we are that much
more prepared for any mission we are asked to do. It was a new scenario and now
that we’ve accomplished it we will have that much more confidence the next
time.”