C-17 Thrill-ride!

(Leslie Cho and Trudy Yamashita are members of Friends of Hickam, an organization of community leaders that serves as facilitators between Hickam Air Force Base and the community. The Friends of Hickam and the Air Force Civilian Advisory Council were invited to participate in a C-17 training mission to increase their understanding of the Air Force mission, the specific skills required, and the safety and care with which the Air Force executes every day training missions. The sortie (conducted by the 535th Airlift Squadron, 15th Operations Group, 15th Airlift Wing) departed and landed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawai'i, and included an extraction sequence of the airdrop of a "heavy platform"at Kanes Drop Zone, North Shore, Oahu.)

Leslie: I would like to thank everyone who had anything to do with this training mission. From the ground crew to the pilots, and every single one of the people in between. I am still in awe of what an amazing flight it was. From the pre-flight orientation to the de-briefing we all felt like a part of the team, something not too many people get a chance to experience, even if for just a brief moment. Thank you so much for all you do, although we may only see a tiny part of the dedication and commitment, make no mistake you are amazing people.

Trudy:
I felt this exercise was planned very well, from the reception/presentation (thank you for the pastries & drinks!), to the bus ride, the plane ride, and finally the de-briefing (thank you so much for the personalized certificate and C-17 goodies - what a treat!)...

The crew was extremely nice and helpful. I can't remember his name, but one of the young men who accompanied our group was super nice and answered any questions we had. He gave us granola bars and water too - very thoughtful. He was at the de-briefing also. The pilot/trainer was also very nice - he gave us lots of information. Getting to sit in the cockpit was a THRILL! I was actually surprised to see so many women there - met a C-17 pilot at the reception, and there was another young woman (crewmember) on the C-17.

The actual flight was pretty smooth, except for that one time the pilot made a sharp right turn to catch up with the other C-17. The landing was also a bit hard, but we later learned that it was an intentional part of the training.

Watching the pallet drop was amazing! It all happened so fast! Seeing the other C-17 following us was also exciting. I expected to feel a lot of wind or turbulence when the back opened up, but was surprised to feel nothing out of the ordinary. Still, I would NOT do what the loadmaster did (stand so close to the opening), even with the harness on. That loadmaster is one courageous fella!

Overall, my experience was GREAT and this is something I will cherish forever. I have always dreamed of riding on the C-17 (just ask my friends, they'll tell you). This was better than I ever imagined.

Thank you again for putting this all together. It was AWESOME!