U.S. fighter pilots pass test of endurance

ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT -- The bombing campaign in Afghanistan has been a record-setting test of endurance for the crew on board this U.S. carrier, with fighter jets storming into the skies for up to nine hours a day.

Flying dozens of sorties each day, F-14B Tomcats and F/A-18C Hornet fighter jets have pounded Taliban and al-Qaida targets with about 1-million pounds of bombs since arriving in the northern Arabian Sea on Oct. 17, officials said.

During other missions, such as Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the aircraft would not spend more than three hours flying.

"A year ago, if I had been told we would be flying as intensely as we are right now ... I would have said it might have broken the bank," said Capt. Richard O'Hanlon, the Roosevelt's commanding officer. "It's been a test of endurance."

The sorties have been long because the carrier's aircraft must fly hundreds of miles across Pakistan to their targets in Afghanistan. The B-1 and B-52 bombers flying daily over Afghanistan are making even longer trips, from Diego Garcia in the central Indian Ocean.

Pilots have been forced to get medical clearance to let them exceed the monthly limit of 65 hours of flight time.

In November, the ship's VFA-82 "Marauders" flew 1,296 hours, a one-month record for a carrier-based F/A-18 Hornets squadron, said Lt. John Oliveira, the ship's spokesman. It would normally be about 480 hours for the squadron's 16 pilots.

The ship's three other fighter squadrons are flying similar hours.

Cmdr. Roy Kelley, of the VF-102 "Diamondbacks" Squadron, who has flown an average of 90 hours per month, said the task initially looked overwhelming. But, he added, as people got into a routine and early glitches were ironed out, the operation has been largely trouble-free.

"The biggest fear has been complacency because the air crew know the country so well," said Kelley. "You have to realize people down there are trying to shoot you, trying to kill you and it's not a training exercise."

WALKER MOVED TO SHIP: John Walker, the 20-year-old American Taliban fighter who surrendered to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was moved Friday to a Navy ship in the Arabian Sea.

He is "safe and being well cared for," said Gen. Tommy Franks, aboard the USS Peleliu, the lead ship of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, off Pakistan.

Walker had been held at Camp Rhino, a U.S. Marine forward operating base in southern Afghanistan. He has been recovering from a gunshot wound in his leg.

The Bush administration has not announced a timetable for deciding what to do with Walker.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright