Kiowa crew chief ensures pilots’ safety

NANGARHAR PROVINCE – It was a cold, windy morning in Jalalabad, and Army Brig. Gen. Warren Phipps, RC- East and Combined Joint TF 101 asst div. cmdr – support, and Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Timothy French, an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior standardization instructor pilot, were beginning their preflight checks.

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But, the seasoned pilots were not alone in prepping the helicopter for flight. Army Spc. Carlos Mendez was also inspecting the aircraft, filling secure communications into the aircraft radios, and cleaning and defogging the windows. This is his 2nd deployment, having deployed to Iraq 2 years ago. “Ensuring the aircraft safety to support the mission, is honestly one of my favorite aspects of being a crew chief,” said Mendez. After the preflight inspections were complete, the pilots climbed into the compact cockpit, and within minutes, the aircraft roared to life, and the rotors were at full speed. Despite the sudden rush of whipping wind and the sound of the roaring rotors that seeped through the headset, Mendez didn’t flinch. After a few moments, French waved for Mendez to come to the aircraft. Mendez ran under the rotating blades to get instructions from French, who had to yell to be heard above the noise from the helicopter. Mendez made a few adjustments to the aircraft, then ran back to the edge of the flight line. Finally, the aircraft ascended into a hover before turning and taking off into the Afghanistan skies. Maintaining the helicopter to safely fly is one of the most important jobs for an OH-58D crew chief. The tiniest flaw could put the lives of the pilots flying in serious danger. Before the unit received the newest OH-58D(R) model Kiowa, Mendez said he would get to fly on maintenance test flights with the pilots. “Flying has to be the best part of being a crew chief,” said Mendez. Before joining the Army, Mendez worked in construction. When asked why someone would choose such a challenging job as an OH-58 Kiowa crew chief, Mendez simply said, “Because I wanted to challenge myself in my abilities. I also wanted to do something selfless for my country, because of everything it’s done for me.” Mendez feels he supports the mission by ensuring the safety of the pilots’ lives, in order for them to effectively assist the ground forces. “Being a crew chief has been a great experience for me,” he said. “I’ve developed a great knowledge of my job, and have made some lifelong friendships.”

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