When the metre showed 100,000 hours, the pilots from the 8th Transport Air Base had something to celebrate. Since 2003, erstwhile the first Casa with a white-and-red chessboard landed in the Balic Islands, on board transport carriers carried soldiers, hundreds of thousands of tons of military equipment and humanitarian aid in various parts of the world. About Casach they say: – They can do a lot. We respect them.
At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, the military began an urgent search for the successor of the utilized and obsolete An-26 aircraft of russian production. The Spanish-Indonesian aircraft CASA CN.235M and Italian Alenia G.222, or C-27J Spartan, were involved. Air Force and Air defence wanted a fresh mid-range transport aircraft to deliver six tons of cargo to an airport more than 2,500 km distant or to shift to 40 parachute jumpers. Eventually, Casa was selected, which after years of operation by Kraków airmen turned out to be transport aircraft not average and long-range.
Working ox from Spain
– It was expected to be a medium-range machine, but from the position of our experience we know present that it works as a long-range transport aircraft. After all, we fly in very distant places: China, Vietnam or Africa – admits "Turu", 1 of the more experienced pilots from the 8th Transport Air Base, which since 2006 has been "flying" on C-295M aircraft over 5,500 hours. It was the fresh aircraft that went to the Kraków unit. ‘Turu’ praises: – For more than 20 years of use, they have shown large reliability. They carried hundreds of thousands of tons of goods and countless people.
The “funer” whose raid at C-295M is about 4.4 1000 hours from 2009, ensures that Casa is reliable. – It's our working bull – the pilot is joking. – We can make tactical flights on unhardened and unprepared runways as well as short runways. Among the most spectacular tasks reported by the media is evacuation of Poles from Tel Aviv Or the people of Kabul, where I flew myself, says “The Tomb”. He besides adds that pilots from Kraków Bali are very well prepared to fly in danger zones. – CASA allows us specified flights due to the fact that it has appropriate self-defense systems. Of course, we learn the tactics of transport aviation in advance, taking exercises and a specialized course in Zaragoza. In Spain, our pilots are learning and honing their cognition in performing tasks in an environment akin to today's battlefield. We practice there according to the script relating to the armed conflict,” adds “Grzybek”.
Pilots admit that sometimes they gotta do tasks in very hard weather conditions. – It was sometimes that from the heat any elements were peeling off in the cabin, or due to utmost temperatures everything was totally freezing. However, Casy proved reliable in all conditions. They can and respect them, says “Turu”. He adds that the C-295M, thanks to its very good maneuverability and ability to land at advanced speed, does not neglect even at airports with limited dimensions, narrow, advanced in the mountains.
Missions with a heart
Once the task is done, soldiers frequently admire exotic views from the Casy window. The “Turu” most remembered the spectacular sunrises and sunsets in Afghanistan and Iraq. On the another hand, Jawor, who has spent about 5,500 hours in the air and C-295M has spent about 16 years, remembers flights to Africa most pleasantly. It's a large continent. I had the chance to get to know him perfectly – says the pilot and praises the anticipation of flying military machines. - Flying alone is great. As a colleague erstwhile said: “We fly, we love it and they pay us for it”, adds “Jawor”, the first pilot trained to fly Casami by Polish instructors.
But CASA isn't just military missions. “Jawor” flew besides under “The Heart Action” for Polish transplantation. He made about 30 specified flights, which were unique to him. – Helping save lives is something special. As part of the action I flew both Casami and An-26," he says. Interestingly, for transport aircraft, he switched from combat aircraft, where everything took place very quickly. – erstwhile you pilot transport planes everything happens slower, and the pilot is no longer attached to 1 place. After the transfer, the challenge at the beginning was for me the English language, which is in force during the operation – admits “Jawor”.
The ‘fun’, which in turn moved to Casa from ‘Antka’, indicates a technological leap. – In An-26 was full of analogy and 5 crew members: 2 pilots, onboard technician, navigator and radio operator. The crew shared the occupation – in fact the second pilot throughout the full flight could only turn on the air conditioning and that was his full job, due to the fact that 1 of the crew members navigated and the another was conducting correspondence for him. In Casa, where there are 2 pilots and onboard technicians, everything falls on the pilot. simply the crew is more burdened with tasks – he explains. But at the same time, he admits that in any respects, standard Casa flights may be somewhat like the work of a pilot in airlines. We fly in the same space, land at controlled airports. What truly distinguishes us from civilian pilots is the fact that we make tactical flights to places that they will never fly to," says “Grzybek”.
Also landing
For years, pilots from Balic have been working with 6th Airborne Brigade And peculiar troops. We're landing jumpers, as well as loads, both day and night. After dusk, of course, utilizing night imagination devices – explains “The Tomb”. What is the difference between landing from Casa and jumping from “Antka”? – First of all, it is more comfortable for the paratrooper, due to the fact that the C-295M deck leaves much slower – explains the pilot.
In the first year of operation of the C-295M aircraft, the Bali pilots "laundered" on fresh machines over 267 hours. Throughout 2004 it was almost 1700 hours. Casy has flown a lot to Afghanistan since the beginning of service in the Armed Forces of Poland. The Kraków base maintained the alleged air bridge with this country for respective years, and besides with Iraq. In more than 20 years, C-295M aircraft from Bali have landed in respective twelve countries, including Congo, Chad, Mali, Cape Verde, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, China, Egypt, Norway, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Kuwait and Jordan. There's 16 Cas on duty. Recorded in terms of raid hours were the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. Each year C-295M with a white-red chessboard spent more than 6,000 hours in the air – the most in 2018, due to the fact that 6425. Recorder piloting Casa spent 6.4,000 hours in the air.
