Wing and a prayer

[unhappycamper]

Wing and a prayer
By Geoff Ziezulewicz, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, December 14, 2009

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Rocket-propelled grenades began whizzing by the rickety, Soviet-era M-17 chopper. Flying 50 feet above a canyon floor in Kandahar province, the Afghan pilot suddenly began to climb, lurching dangerously close to another Mi-17. Sitting in the co-pilot seat, U.S. Air Force Capt. Tyler Rennell abruptly seized control of the chopper and narrowly averted a mid-air collision.

Then the Afghan pilot started pouting, Rennell recalled.

"He gets so upset about me taking the controls that he takes his helmet off," Rennell said. "If you (quit mid-mission like this) in the U.S., you’re done."

Close calls and culture clashes in the skies over Afghanistan have become a regular occurrence for U.S. helicopter pilots training the Afghan National Army Air Corps at Kandahar Air Field.

"There’s a very large inherent risk we accept," Rennell said. "I’m on my second hand of (counting) times I’ve almost died."


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66656