USASOC NEWS SERVICE

RELEASE NUMBER: 040218-02
DATE POSTED: FEBRUARY 18, 2004

Small airplane meets big Army special operations need  

By Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson
U.S. Army Special Operations Command

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Feb. 18, 2004) — Even with its small size and rarity to the Army, the CASA C-212 Aviocar airplane has proven itself to be a diverse and capable aircraft.

Carrying 75 percent workload for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command’s Flight Detachment, the CASA is used to move Soldiers in and out of training exercises, as well as put paratroopers and supplies out under their canopies.

Capt. Gail Atkins, detachment commander, said the unit’s CASAs belong to the U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., and the detachment currently has two on station here, two at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., and an additional airplane waiting to be delivered to the unit.

“When the plane originally came out, they were given to both (the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command) and USASOC to be used for training,” Atkins said.  “Our primary purpose was to conduct airborne operations out of it.”

Due to real-world operations, the CASA is now being used during training to conduct infiltrations and ex-filtrations of troops, supply drops and airborne operations in realistic scenarios.

CASA pilot Dave Beishline of the detachment said the aircraft is popular in other parts of the world because of its capabilities and simplicity.

“It doesn’t have a real complex system,” he said.  “It has fixed landing gear and it’s not real expensive, so a lot of Third World or smaller countries on a limited budget operate it.”

Because the $6.5 million aircraft is used by other armies, special operations Soldiers are able to train at home in a plane they might have to use while deployed to another country, Atkins said.

“Special Forces (Soldiers) have a requirement to operate out of non-standard aircraft, because in whatever theater they are assigned to, it is possible that they are going to see all types of airframes coming to support them,” she said.  “To be constantly jumping out of C-130s does them no good.  It really fits into their mission to be able to train in the CASA here with USASOC.”

Beishline said the small airplane allows the detachment to conduct both non-tactical and tactical parachute jumps as well as airdrop missions in just a fraction of the time it would take a unit flying in a C-130.

“The way our missions are set up here, we can take a unit out in a smaller block of time and get the whole unit jumped,” said Beishline.   “When you are over at Pope (Air Force Base), you can be tied up for the whole day with all the procedures the Air Force requires for a unit to jump.  We are just more time-effective and just get it done faster.”

Atkins said another appealing attribute of the CASA is its ability to land on a variety of surfaces.

“The biggest thing is that it’s capable of landing on short, unimproved fields,” said Atkins.  “A C-130 can do that as well, but it needs a significant amount more of landing zone than a CASA would need.”

Although a C-130 is capable of landing on Fort Bragg’s Sicily Drop Zone, it is not capable of landing and taking off in the short amount of distance provided by St. Mere Eglise’s landing strip, like the CASA, said Atkins.

Master Sgt. Christopher S. Hopkins, a U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) jumpmaster, agrees that one of the CASA’s best attributes is its ability to land and take off in short distances, because it allows Special Forces soldiers to infiltrate into small areas to conduct missions.

But, along with the aircraft’s unique landing capabilities, comes weight limitations said Beishline.

“Routinely, our maximum weight is about 4,000 pounds,” he said.   “That is a good cargo weight, whether it be the jumpers or (supply) bundles.”

Beishline said the average amount of paratroopers that can jump from the aircraft is equal to a Special Forces Operational Detachment A team, consisting of 12 men, in addition to a jumpmaster and a safety aboard the aircraft, but the overall determining factor is the weight of the fuel, personnel and their equipment combined.

“We can adjust our fuel load,” he said.  “We can take less of a fuel load to take more people, but you have to plan it.   When you take big bulky SF guys with rucksacks and field equipment and stuff that may weigh up to 350 pounds, we have weight constraints.”

Atkins said that although the CASA is a civilian aircraft, the military has made modifications in order for the aircraft to meet the Army’s mission.

“If you were to go buy one on the civilian market, it wouldn’t look like the one we’ve got out here,” she said.  “We modify it to be able to do (airdrop) and airborne operations, and we do have the modified seats to carry Soldiers.”

As the detachment alters its CASAs to make them more suitable for conducting military operations, they are also improving them with the latest flying technology, said Beishline.

“We have an advanced navigational system … and we are upgrading that right now to have (Global Positioning System) capability, to make it really exact when we are out there flying at night,” he said.

With the airplane’s unique capabilities, Hopkins said it not only makes for a good jump, but also allows jumpmasters to conduct their operations in the aircraft with more efficiency.

“It provides a smooth ride and the tailgate provides a great jump,” Hopkins said.  “The left door also allows us to spot our panels easily.  It is a suitable aircraft for proficiency jumps.”

Because of the unique capabilities the CASA provides to the detachment and the command, in both tactical and non-tactical training operations, the special operations Soldiers who use it continue to be prepared for combat missions in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

A CASA-212 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment sits at Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C. Feb. 10, 2004 while Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. prepare to conduct an airborne operation on to Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone. (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
A CASA C-212 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment sits at Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C., Feb. 10, while Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., prepare to conduct an airborne operation onto Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone.  (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. prepare to exit from a U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment CASA-212, Feb. 10, 2004 onto Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone. (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., prepare to exit onto Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone from an U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment CASA C-212, Feb. 10.  (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
CASA-212 pilots Mike Stender and Bud Anschuetz from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment fly Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. out of Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C. Feb. 10, 2004 to conduct an airborne operation onto Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone. (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
CASA C-212 pilots Mike Stender and Bud Anschuetz, from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment ,fly Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., out of Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C., Feb. 10 to conduct an airborne operation onto Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone.  (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
A CASA-212 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment sits at Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C. Feb. 10, 2004 while Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. board the airplane in preparation for an airborne operation onto Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone. (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
A CASA C-212 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment sits at Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C., Feb. 10, while Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., board the airplane in preparation for an airborne operation onto Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone.  (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
A CASA-212 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment prepares to land at Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C. Feb. 10, 2004 while Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. prepare to conduct an airborne operation on to Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone. (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
An U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment CASA C-212 prepares to land at Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C., Feb. 10, while Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., prepare to conduct an airborne operation on to Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone.  (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
A CASA-212 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment takes off from Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C. Feb. 10, 2004 while conducting an airborne operation with Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
A CASA C-212 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment takes off Feb. 10, from Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C., while conducting an airborne operation with Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.  (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson, USASOC PAO)
A CASA-212 from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment taxis at Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C. Feb. 10, 2004 while conducting an airborne operation with Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
An U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment CASA C-212 taxis at Raeford Parachute Center, Raeford, N.C., Feb. 10, while conducting an airborne operation with Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.  (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson, USASOC PAO)
CASA-212 pilot Bud Anschuetz from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment make adjustments in flight Feb. 10, 2004, as Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. prepare to conduct an airborne operations on to Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone. (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson USASOC PAO)
CASA C-212 pilot Bud Anschuetz from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment makes adjustments in flight Feb. 10, as Soldiers from the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., prepare to conduct an airborne operations onto Fort Bragg's St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone.  (Photo by Spc. Jennifer J. Eidson, USASOC PAO)