Scott pilots fly into Haiti Published Jan. 27, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Amber Kelly-Herard 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- An ordinary flying mission for two 375th Air Mobility Wing C-21 pilots, whose job is to transport senior leaders from U.S. Southern Command to various regions in the Caribbean, quickly turned into a rescue and wounded transport effort after Haiti was devastated by a 7.0 earthquake Jan. 12. Lt. Col. Michael Kayser and Capt. Gina Stramaglio, both assigned to the 458th Airlift Squadron here, flew Lt. Gen. Ken Keene, Southern Command Vice Commander, into Haiti Jan. 12 for a routine staff visit. The aircrew turned down the offer to stay in the Hotel Montanna that evening for security precautions. That very hotel would hours later be flattened by the quake that hit at 4:53 p.m. Instead they had flown to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to wait on alert for their next mission. While at their hotel, Colonel Kayser recalls feeling the earth shake, whereupon he called SOUTHCOM to let them know they were OK. "At first it just seemed like a little tremor," said Colonel Kayser. "Some things were knocked over, but we had no idea it was such a great human tragedy until we saw the news." As the world mobilized in response to the devastation, SOUTHCOM became the lead in the relief effort and General Keene became the on-scene commander. Captain Stramaglio and Colonel Kayser were designated a Rapid Reaction Force to be used at General Keene's discretion. They immediately left for Miami to pick up the general's staff and bring them back to Haiti. They soon found out how different air operations were after the quake. "Before the quake the field handled maybe a dozen flights a day, now there were that many with us talking to approach control trying to get clearance to land." Nations and relief organizations were scrambling to come to Haiti's rescue. That included the team from the 621st Contingency Response Wing, based out of McGuire AFB, N.J., who arrived within hours to organize the airfield and set up a reception area for relief operations. The runway itself was workable, but increased air traffic is very difficult with no Air Traffic Control radar and intermittent telephone communication between Haitian Approach Control and United States Military Tower Controllers. Adding to the difficulties, the ATC tower was damaged so the tower and ground controllers could not see the entire ramp. "It is like trying to do a ballet with a choreographer who cannot see the stage." The aircrew delivered the general's staff safely and while Colonel Kayser prepped the aircraft for departure, Captain Stramaglio coordinated the evacuation of an American citizen with diabetes who had suffered crushed ankles. C-21 aircraft are capable of transporting the wounded, but typically not when configured for VIP movement. It was a tight squeeze for the patient and the U.S. Special Operations Command medical technician who saw her safely to her final destination at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. However, getting to Florida would be another adventure. Their take-off was delayed an hour because a plane landed without clearance and there was no room for it on the airfield. "The controllers were trying to move planes around that they could not see and they couldn't get that airplane to get off the runway. Meanwhile there is an enormous relief effort, countless aircraft waiting to get in and being re-routed away. It was a foreign aircraft so there were language barriers as well," said Colonel Kayser. "The facilities, infrastructure, airfield, airspace are all a worst case scenario for logistical planners." "The airfield was pretty chaotic," added Captain Stramaglio. "Everybody was struggling to do their part as quickly as possible, but the infrastructure wasn't there." The excitement did not stop with their departure from Port-au-Prince. "When we took off from Haiti, our landing gear would not go up," said Colonel Kayser. "We got a safe down indication so normally we would just return to the field we departed from. This was not an option for us. We needed to find a place where our patient could receive the right kind of medical care, and we wouldn't disrupt a relief effort for 3 million people. After going over our options we decided Guantanamo Bay was our best choice. Unfortunately, they were saturated by the relief effort as well, so Jamaica became our next best option." They made quite a stir there when the aircraft landed as that airport had just experienced an aircraft accident the week before and mistook the C-21 problems for a large passenger aircraft that was landing at the same time. "The Jamaicans were relieved, and it was a front page story the next day," said the colonel. He and the captain spent the next 36 hours on the phone working with the embassy and medical teams to provide care for the patient and arrange a flight home. Meanwhile a maintenance crew inspected and repaired the aircraft, and once cleared for future missions, they ended up flying the patient to Florida where she is listed in stable condition. The C-21 aircraft, both stationed here and at Andrews AFB, Md., remain on alert to support SOUTHCOM missions. Along with the C-21 support missions, 375th AMW teams from the aeromedical evacuation squadron, fire department, mental health and public affairs are deployed in support of Haiti relief operations. "There's no shortage of supplies, planes or people who want to help, but it requires careful coordination to get them where they need to go," said Colonel Kayser. "That airport is meant for one aircraft to land and then depart before the next one arrives. It's a tiny ramp and the rest of the city's distribution infrastructure was minimal before the quake. So the fact that they are handling 145 landings a day speaks to what a great effort the Air Force is executing."