Whenever Soldiers from Contingency Operating Base Basra go to other bases in Iraq, helicopters are the way to go. But before Soldiers fly out, they should be aware of the process and pitfalls of getting on flights.
“The first step is filling out an air mission request sheet,” said Pfc. Ashley Venburg, an aviation operations specialist with the 34th Inf. Div. The AMR sheet should be filled out with the destination, dates of travel, number of personnel and amount of cargo. The sheets can be found on the aviation operation section’s internal website and should be submitted at least 72 hours prior. “Be flexible and don’t try to request specific times,” said Venburg, a Forest Lake, Minn. native.
After the AMR is submitted, the aviation operations specialists provide the Soldier with a tracking number to track the status of the flight. Aviation operations personnel then take the AMR and determine if the trip is justified and feasible. If the Soldier’s request is approved, the combat aviation brigade adds the Soldier to a flight manifest.
The tracking number is important because flights can be canceled or delayed for a number of reasons, including mechanical issues, bad weather or scheduling conflicts. “It’s kind of like a hit or miss thing,” said Venburg. “You’ve got to understand,” said Spc. Andrew Weaver, a passenger terminal specialist, “each of these birds has as much space as a Volkswagen. You can only fit about 16 people. And you pretty much have to count duffel bags as a person.”
Soldiers who are bumped from flights or do not submit an AMR within the 72 hour window can still fly out on standby, the aerial equivalent of hitchhiking.
“If you can’t make it, then you’ll have to do standby,” said Venburg. “You go to the terminal, and once that aircraft is ready to go, if there’s any space available, they will take the standby personnel.”
Standby can be a trying process, and Soldiers can get stuck waiting for hours. Just ask Cpl. Nicholas Eichmann, who was in Talil when his flight got delayed and then canceled due to weather. “Standby was interesting,” said Eichman, administrative noncommissioned officer for the 34th Inf. Div. inspector general. “You basically wait for people not to show up to their AMRs and hopefully take their place.”
After checking with the counter on the next available flight, Eichman was told to wait for a flight to Basra that might have open seats the next morning. “It’s a little annoying not knowing when you’re going to fly,” said Eichman, a Chanhassen, Minn. native.
Nevertheless, all is not over if Soldiers have to go on standby. “People end up reserving three days and they leave on the first day, so their seats the other two days are open,” said Weaver. “And so birds fly out with empty seats.”
For the actual flight, Soldiers are advised to bring water, eye protection and hearing protection, as flights are hot, dusty and loud.
