by Captain

Scott Miller,

CD and Major

Mike

Minnich,

CD

In late-May2000, Capt Scott Miller and five other Canadian Forcesaircrewflew a pair of CH-146 Griffon utility helicopterson a rare 2,400 nautical-mile formation flight. Destination: Alert, in Canada's HighArctic. Here-from the diaryhe developed during and after this memorablemission -is what that flight north was like.

I n the early summer of 2000, Capt Scott Miller, an

air reservist with .400Sqn at CFB Borden, Ont, was part of Operation Hurricane in Canada'sHigh Arctic. This annual operation performs general maintenance and battery-pack replacement for a series of unmanned microwave communications repeater stations that stretches across Ellesmere Island from Eureka northwards to the military electronicresearchsite at Alert, Nunawt. Both Canadian Forces and civilian helicopters work together to shuttle technicians and other specialists among the six remote sites during the short arctic summer. Operation Hurricane 2000 was the first time that a reserve- heavy Air Command unit was entrusted with this demanding job. Weeks of preparation went into the planning, and the final op order called for two of the squadron's CH-146 Griffon utility helicopters to self-deploy to Alert, while a third would be partly disassembled and air lifted inside a CC-130 Hercules transport along with many squadron personnel. Including handovers during the operation, several dozen regular force and reserve members of 400 Sqn were able to participate in 10- to 30-day deployments to Alert. The two CH-146s that were to be flown up from Borden were each modified with the installation of two 500-litre auxiliary fuel tanks inside the passenger cabin that boosted zero-wind maximum range to 400 nautical miles (nm). Since each aircraft would only carry the basic crew of two pilots and a flight engineer plus their kit, the space-guzzling aspect of the fuel tanks was not a problem, but once filled they did put each aircraft at maximum gross weight of 11,900 lbs. Capt Miller's report begins on Thursday May 25th 2000, as the two-ship formation prepared to depart CFB Borden:

A CH-146 Griffon helicopter slings a load of batteries at Mount Grant radar site in Canada's High Arctic. All photos were taken by Capt Scott Miller using a low resolution digital camera.

25 May 00: The countless hours of pre-flight planning, aircraft checksand reconfiguration, crew briefings, cold-weather kit preparations, and the usual weather delays all culminated in the long-anticipated "click-click-click" of the PT6 1Win-Pack engine ignitors as both of our Bell CH-146 Griffon utility helicopters sparked into life. Our routing from CFB Borden took us directly over North Bay,to the first of 11 fuel stops -this one at Rouyn-Noranda,Que. We didn't realize it then, but the excellent lunch enjoyed by the six crewmembers would be the last "full- service" meal we'd get until our arrival at Hall Beach, three days later. Later this afternoon, the formation encountered some marginal VFR weather during our 328 nm leg to La Grande, which is about 60 nm east of JamesBay. Our two long-range fuel tanks allowed our Griffons to easilyhandle these planned distances,and still have double the normal IS-minute fuel reserves.

Aitforce

Sum

mer

2002

49

The weather had improved dramatically in the southern Hudson Bay region by the time of our arrival in La Grande, so after another short fuel stop -along with a quick raid on the fast-food dispenserwe were off once again. 1Wo-and-a-half hours of flying over some of the most striking real estate in Northern Canadaultimately brought us overhead the tiny Hudson Bay coastal town of Inukjuak. The never-before-seen spectacle of two Griffon helicopters in close formation brought out a sizable welcoming party to Inukjuak's small gravel airstrip. A very long first day ended after visiting the local co-op store to buy provisions for both supper and next morning's breakfast.

across the top end of Hudson Bay and across the Evans Strait promised a lot of over-water flying, which necessitateddonning our tight-fitting, one-piece,rubberized immersion suits. I'd worn one of these ugly green "private weight-loss centres" often during my two coastal SAR (search and rescue) tours on Labradors while with the regular force. Basically, all they'll do is keep you alive in cold water long enough to have a chance to get into a life raft. But, considering the alternative, I guessthat's good enough! By the time we were Iso miles up the coast -

about half-way across to Mansel Island and towards Coral Harbour -quickly darkening skies and light drizzle on our windshields caught our attention. In our predominantly VFR tactical helicopter world, in which we flew at 1,000 feet AGL or less most of the 26 May 00: Bright sunshine and distant mental \ .visions of Canadian Forces Stn Alert greeted us the time on this trip, long-range radio communication and reliable weather updates were sparse at best. next morning. Once fully fueled and flight-planned, we took off, circled the town one last time, and head- After a quick inter-plane chat and placement of the ed northwards towards Puvirnituk. While our CH- windshield defroster to the full-on position, a direct vector back to Iwjivik was decided upon (Griffons are 146s were capable of flying to Coral Harbour direct, not certified for flight into freezing conditions, so it we've enhanced our Arctic-flying watchword to run along the lines of, "Never by-pass a gas station or a was an easycall.) Heading back south to Ivujivik at max cruise place to get a hot meal!" speed or a bit more, we just stayed ahead of a signifiPuvirnituk offered not only fuel, but a newlycant band of freezing rain. We made it safely back to established "Hotel de la Co-operative" -an outstanding facility and a welcome treat in an otherwise the welcoming grins and warm handshakes of the inhospitable arctic expanse.As we were quickly com- townsfolk at this little settlement perched on the ing to realize, however, the true beauty of Canada's northernmost tip of Quebec. It was all we crewmemArctic lies in its inhabitants, as once again the towns- bers could do collectively to put on the rotor-head and windshield covers, tie down the blades, and run Viewfrom cockpitof folk greeted us with open arms at the airport. a Griffon helicopter Our next stop, Hall Beach, loomed large in our for cover in the face of an Arctic ice storm. Surely, we while approaching told ourselves, tomorrow would dawn a better day. thoughts, so after a hot meal and some reluctant S .t 1/, t t . k levlcoroplc up ... and repositionbattery good-byes we were on our way, thIS tIme wIth the bundles. number-two aircraft serving as "lead." The 350-nm leg 27 May 00: This morning began with three hours of chipping, scraping, heating, and blow-drying our sorry-looking Griffons. Fortunately, both the helicopters and crew emerged unscathed from our "freeze-dried" state, and were able to continue our northward advance. About half-way across Foxe Channel en route to the next fuel stop at Coral Harbour, the number-two aircraft spotted a polar bear on an ice floe, which gave us both a quick photo op -and a good reminder of why we had 12-gauge shotguns on board as part of our survival kit. The low overcast condition we'd flown in all morning opened-upto "severeclear" upon our arrival at Coral Harbour. Along the way, however,it had been interesting to discover how the Inuit-built rock cairns, known as inukshuks, stood out in stark contrast to the endlesssnow-covered background. These

50

Sum

mer

2002

Aitforce

small (maybe four feet high) markers made VFR operations much easier for us when land and overcast sky tended to visually merge, and likely similarly served an orientation function for the native inhabitants as they trekked cross-country. (Once we entered the region of magnetic-compass unreliability, we used the Global Positioning System (GPS)and it worked perfectly.) No time for lunch at Coral Harbour... just a quick gas-and-go, with the expectation of another airborne gastronomic delight in the form of a hot-pot and "Noodles in a Cup." Not exactly gourmet fare... but enough to keep your belt from collapsing. I had never flown in this part of the eastern Arctic before, and that three-hour leg from Coral Harbour to Hall Beach was filled with some of the most spectacular !Cen~ry I'd ever witnessed. Massive coastal cliffs plunged into brilliant blue water strewn with island-size ice floes -and all of this made even more spectacular with bright sunshine and cloudless skies. Our formation was making good time now, with Hall Beachjust over the horizon (located on the eastern shore of Melville Peninsula, Hall Beach overlooks the Foxe Basin). Although the sun never fully sets at this time of year in the far north, it was getting late by our bodies' clocks... the crews were tired...and some grumbling about styrofoam cups came over our headsets. In short, we decided to call it a day, remain overnight at Hall Beach, and have a real meal. 28 May 00: Clad in those ugly green immersion suits and with memories of a great breakfast, today we were eager to launch toward Pond Inlet. The weather forecast from the CARS(Civilian Air Radio Station) at the airport, however,was not as promising as it had been the previous evening. Areas of extensive low cloud, plus blowing and drifting snow, were reported. Eager to get to our next destination, we decided to give it a try, so we launched. Initially, the visibility over the open water wasn't bad, since the surface below us provided good contrast to the vast whiteness. As we approached the west coast of Baffin Island, however, that snow-covered ground began to look suspiciously like the bank of clouds ahead. While the CH-146 is IFR-capable, it is restricted from flight into icing conditions. As we did a 180degree turn and headed back to Hall Beach, some of us wondered what was for lunch there.. 29 May 00: This morning, as we peered eastward out the frost-covered windows towards the open water -

and, closer-in, noticed the tracks of a polar bear that had tried to visit the kitchen during the night -it was difficult to tell whether flying conditions had improved. Poor visibilities were still being reported over the radio, but things didn't look too bad from our earthbound vantage point, so we saddled up. The cook was more of a realist. The last thing we heard him say to us was, "Have a nice trip... and I'll seeyou here for supper!" The only thing we achieved that day -after three hours of dodging snow showers and areas of whiteout -was a good appetite. The cook at Hall Beach should have been a meteorologist, too, because he called it right: we were back there in plenty of time for supper. 30 May 00: Day Three "at the Beach" saw the weather finally break and good conditions return. Unfortunately, this morning something else had broken, too: the tail-rotor driveshaft coupling. Our FE (flight engineer) spotted a two-inch horizontal crack during the pre-flight inspection on one Griffon. We weren't going anywhere until that got replaced,so a quick call was made back to the squadron at Borden, and arrangementswere made to get the.piece to us on the next possible commercial flight -two days from now! We spent that time watching a lot of videos, dining under the watchful eye (and occasional chuckle) of the "weather- forecasting" cook, and listening to our beards grow. 01 Jon 00: Thursday finally arrived, as did the First Air HS- 748 turboprop airliner carrying our longawaited part. Waiting at the strip somehow brought back memories of being an eight- year-old kid watching RCAFCC-119 Flying Boxcars land at the base at St Hubert, Que, in the wintertime, frozen little fin-

A bewhiskered

Capt

Scott Miller took this self-portrait in the cockpit of his Griffon helicopter while en route to Alert. Crews were aI/owed to grow beards due to the cold weather and lack of water for shaving.

Airforce

Sum

mer

2002

51

where we took the opportunity to briefly drop in at the Ellesmere Island National Park ranger station and meet park ranger Monty Yank. Just north of Tanquary Station, our formation passed over Hazen Lake, and we knew we were getting close to CFS Alert, which is perched on the shore of the vast Arctic Ocean. We soon touched down at Alert, safe and sound after an eventful -and protracted! -2400 nm flight. And now the real work of why we deployed to the Arctic could begin. ..

Afterword:ATypical Day's Work

gers grasping the chain link fence... The parts change went well, and by 8:00 that evening we were tested, fueled, flight-planned, and ready to go. As we lifted off and headed again for Baffin Island, I swear I could hear faint laughter coming from the cook's shack. Thking advantage of the 24-hour-long daylight, we headed for planned fuel stops first at Pond Inlet, and then Grise Fjord. As our GPS system displayed Pond Inlet at 073 degrees true north and a distance of 240 nm -and decreasing -our tiny formation flew northwards in brilliant sunshine that bathed spectacular mountain ranges broken by glistening stretches of clear blue water. It was impossible to travel through this wondrous landscape without being humbled by both its stark beauty and fragile history. At both fuel stops there were exceptionally helpful attendants who kept us right on schedule. It goes without saying that a pair of Griffons thundering into town and creating a cloud of dust at the gravel airstrip always brought out a contingent of snowmobiles and 4x4s to greet us -even at a 3:00 a.m. arrival at Grise Fjord. 02 Jun 00: lWenty-four hour daylight has a way of fooling the body's natural rhythm, and, even though we'd covered nearly 700 nm since our evening departure from Hall Beach, both crews were wide awake as we arrived at Eureka at about 6:00 a.m. After the maximum-permissible 10-hour planned flight itinerary, our normal crew day had expired, and we were required to get a minimum eight hours rest. Following this layover,we had one last 265 nm leg to get to Alert, which my ship would fly solo, since our other Griffon was to stay at Eureka and be based from there for the operation. Our routing took us directly up Thnquary Fjord, When Capt Miller and the rest of the two crews arrived at Alert, they joined 400 Sqn commanding officer, LCol Jim Sullivan and the others who'd arrived by Hercules, and quickly got into the duty routine for Op Hurricane, Working in conjunction with a contracted civilian heavy-lift Sikorsky S- 61, the Griffons would sometimes sling replacement battery packs from Eureka or Alert out to a microwave station, but more often the S-61 would do the main run (they could carry sevensuch weighty containers, while a CH-146 maxed-out at three). The Griffon would drop off the maintenance crew (usually three or four persons) and subsequently maneuver the packs individually closer into position at the site from where the S-61- to save costly operating time -had left them. Final positioning and hook-up was done by the workers on the ground, using a kind of hand-operated mini-forklift. The Griffons would also shift the expended battery containers further away from the site, so the Sikorsky could more safely and quickly hook-up to sling them back to Alert or Eureka. Even in late June, daytime temperatures rarely got much above freezing... plus 4C being a pretty mild day. "This was a terrific adventure," Millers sums up. "The geographywas spectacular,and, although I didn't see any polar bears while operating on Ellesmere, there were lots of seals, narwhal, musk ox, caribou, and smaller wildlife. Op Hurricane 2000 was a solid success for 400 Sqn, and represented a new achievement in the 69-year history of one of the most senior flying units in 'Canada'sair force." (j) (Ed note: Capt Scott Miller retired from the regular force in 1998. In civilian life he flies Dash-& with Air Ontario. Maj Mike Minnich of Toronto is the senior public affairs ollicer for the air reseroe.)

A 400 Sqn CH-146 Griffon helicoptel'.flies along the west sid~'oi a mountain range, curiously called the United States Range, during a flight from Cape Aldrich to TanquaryFjord in Canada's High Arctic.

52

Sum

mer

2002

Aitforce