Night Crew

As the sun sets…personal gear is checked for night operations: helmets are configured with lip lights and NVG (Night Vision Goggle) battery packs; finger lights and personal flashlights are verified and extra batteries are stashed in flight suit pockets; uniforms are then "sterilized" by removing patches. When the sky is dark, NVG’s are adjusted for clarity and then mounted or stowed. An hour before departure, the crew conducts a mission brief and then aircraft engines are started and systems checks performed…the routine is the same, but the night missions are varied.

The night flight schedule is unpredictable and last-minute changes are routine. Unlike the day mission, every stop is normally a “hot-turn”—where the engines are kept running while the flight engineers adjust the load.

Six guys and one aircraft are dedicated to the night mission…the schedule is set as 2-days on followed by one-day off. The 3 pilots and 3 flight engineers typically perform a 90-day rotation, with two guys rotating out about every 30 days. The pace seems more laid-back on nights since the chain of command keeps “business hours” and the majority of unit business is conducted on day shift.

With the daytime temperatures starting to peak over 100 degrees, the night mission is turning out to be a nice change of pace.