Chance deployment, from refueling to recon, gives pilot greater appreciation of war's 'bigger picture'

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  This is the first of a two-part story about a pilot from the 351st Air Refueling Squadron, and his experiences during a recent deployment to Afghanistan.

Part 1: Living the dream ...

When the opportunity arose for a deployment in Afghanistan flying an MC-12, Capt. Robert Madson, 351st Air Refueling Squadron, jumped at the chance.

Having trained as a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot, the 27-year-old Barron, Wis., native had been stationed at RAF Mildenhall for almost a year when the call came down for a small number of pilots to take on the different role of flying the MC-12.

"I'd been interested in flying a similar type of plane when I did my pilot training, but I didn't get the opportunity," said Madson. "So I really wanted to do it now that I had the chance."

The MC-12 is used by the Air Force for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Madson said that in 2009, the Air Force needed an aircraft which would serve as a platform to collect information for the ground troops and intelligence analysts, so they purchased several MC-12s.

The aircraft typically seats around eight people with no equipment on board, and four essential personnel when loaded with equipment.

"The Air Force then needed specialist pilots, so they started taking pilots from every different type of aircraft to have them become the initial pilots of the MC-12," Madson said.

The 351st ARS pilot started his specialized training in the United States, to fly the MC-12 in March 2011, then deployed to Afghanistan for seven months in June 2011.

In addition to flying sorties, he was also a flight commander. When they arrived at their deployed location, they had to build their compound from the ground up. Madson said he was alongside them, filling sandbags and building bunkers.

Madson flew about 130 sorties during his deployment.

"I'd never flown anything like the MC-12 before," he said. "It's small - wing tip to wing tip, it's only about 55-feet, has a twin engine, and just one pilot flying."

"Because it's so small in there, we had to sit shoulder-to-shoulder," he said. "But flying the (MC-12) is very simple; the mission commander was concerned about the mission, and I flew the plane - you need two completely different mindsets for the aircraft. In the single-seater, you're the only pilot there and have to make the decisions. In a KC-135, it's crew-oriented."

The aircraft is equipped with an electro-optical infrared sensor and other sensors as the mission requires. The EO/IR sensor also includes a laser illuminator and designator in a single sensor package.

"My job was basically to get (my crew) from A-to-B safely, and to keep the aircraft safe," said Madson. "I had to always position the aircraft to ensure maximum effectiveness of the sensor.

"At night, we did operations with conventional forces, regular infantry and special operations - basically anyone who needed us. It was always joint and coalition forces, as well as the Afghan National Army."

"We would train and show (coalition forces) what our capabilities were. They often thought (the MC-12) was an unmanned aircraft, like the Predator," he said. "We were always trying to figure out what we could do to improve our service to them."

Editor's note: Look for Part 2 of this story, coming soon.