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Riding in style in Afghanistan

T

Trans_23

Charter Member 2015
My old Air National Guard unit (217 EIS) is currently pulling a rotation in Afghanistan. They are installing fiber optic and phone cable at different FOBs throughout the country and get to them via helicopters. One of the guys that I served with routinely posts pictures on his Facebook page. Their latest destination was FOB Lagman. The Army must not have had a Blackhawk available to get them there so they contracted the ride out to Evergreen International. No door gunner here.
I don't know how they all fit in there with all their gear. There were 9 of them that went so they must have made a couple trips.

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More traditional transportation on the way out.

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Cool pics. I did not know that they was contact air operating in Afghanistan, aside from the hired guns (Blackwater and such).
 
Yep. Lots of contract air. Mainly they are former Soviet-pact cargo carriers that fly the IL-76 and AN-12. Companies such as Silk Air and Volpar Dnepr do contract air in Afghanistan. The crews live on the airplane. Maintenance goes out the window.

Although more international carriers such as DHL move some cargo as well. There was a Bell 412 lost a few years ago, but I don't recall who it belonged to.
 
A good friend of mine fly's for ex Blackwater owned Presidential Air (not sure if it's still called that), and he's been on contract in Afghanistan for two years now, flying a DHC-8. He's making good $$$, but feels like life is passing him by.

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Bone said:
OK, thanks Bjoern. I thought it was still called Presidential, but the flying biz is an iffy owner-changing-name-changing biz.
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Be glad we're not in the 80s anymore with all those upstart and nearly immediately bankrupt small carriers. ;)
 
Bjoern said:
Be glad we're not in the 80s anymore with all those upstart and nearly immediately bankrupt small carriers. ;)
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The 80's had some great music, but yeah, so many airlines came and went so fast it was getting ridiculous. I do remember the other Presidential Airways from back in the 80's, because they had BAE-146's, and I kind of wanted to fly one.
 
Bone said:
I do remember the other Presidential Airways from back in the 80's, because they had BAE-146's, and I kind of wanted to fly one.
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Depending on what point in the 80s we're talking about, you could have ended up at Aspen or PSA as well. And that would have been awfully cool. :cool:
 
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