Musings From 300ft Over Afghanistan

[Flybabe]

Just talked to him STL - it's Kandahar. Let me know if you get down that way.

[C-FABH]

STL... wicked pics, thanks for sharing. Must be the opportunity of a lifetime!

[floatflyingguy]

im not into whirly birds, but that is pretty damn cool!

[young grasshopper]

Hmmm...I was gonna post a few pics of my pop 'n chip load to one of the communities, but I couldn't figure out how to post 'em. In the mean time I guess you guys will have to entertain yourselves with STL's shots. lol. Thanks for the awesome pics. Makes me realize how lucky we have it over here.



*Edited because I can't spell*

[sky's the limit]

Thanks Babe,

I may be heading down there tomorrow in a State Dept Huey - long trip, but a scenic one.

We're now staying with the U.S. State Deptarment's Aviation Wing here at the Kabul Airport - what a facility. Was up at 0500 this morning to watch/shoot the launch of a counter-narcotics mission. It's a joint Op between the DOS, DEA, Afghan Authorities, and Blackwater contractors. About a dozen aircraft including UH-1 Hughy's, King Air 350's, Predator drones, and then military back-up with the likes of OH-58 Kiowa's, Apachies, and FW assets. All for a heroin lab/compound near the Pakistani border.

I got a few decent shots, going to try again tomorrow. They also have a Turbine converted DC-3 here. THIS IS NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER'S DC-3.... Jesus, what a ship. They are doing a test flight on it this afternoon, then removing a couple Classified items, and I'm hoping to shoot it in the good light. You guys and gals who flew for Buffalo Joe will shit. What a machine - and spotless.

Turns out I can't post the photos from this morning, DOS blocks all the photo hosting sites I use.... Hmmm, it'll have to wait a bit.

Spent the last couple days out in Kabul shooting the city restoration projects - what a town. Very impressive place - I love it. That said, the color of the crap coming out of my nose is rather interesting, keep you posted on any developments on that front.

stl

[Panama Jack]

Hey sky's the limit,

Absolutely brilliant write-up, and the photos are even more breathtaking. Thank you for having already answered the question I was going to ask you about camera equipment.

We don't overfly Afghanistan, but whenever flying through Pakistan and Eastern Iran, I can't help but look at the ground and ponder what life is like "down there", just across the border. As you can imagine, Afghanistan is "closer" to those of us living in this part of the world.

- I have a well-meaning and religiously devout friend who is flying in Afghanistan for a NGO. He lives there with his wife and 3 young children. He believes he is bringing the bible and God to the people of Afghanistan.

- We have a pasty-white, female flight attendant of UK nationality who seems to like visiting all of the dangerous places in the world. She "did" Afghanistan a few months ago, having crossed the border throught the tribal areas from Peshawar. I understand she recently went to Iraq and is planning on going to Somalia soon. I told her that with her ambitions, she should at least become an independent reporter.

- The secretary our local yacht club recently lost her son in Afghanistan, who was a manager for DHL and there on business. RIP.

I worry greatly for their safety, and in some cases, their sanity in being there. I guess I add you to that list until you have left there safely.

[sky's the limit]

Ah ha. Figured it out. The wonders of modern technology never cease to amaze.... lol

This morning:

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[sky's the limit]

Thanks Jack,

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I lost your email when I switched accounts, but if you PM me, I'll send you some of the private, more cerebral emails I've been sending.

I'm being as safe as I know how to be. Out and about in Kabul is an exercise in staying "low-profile." Seems to have worked. Am now in the custody of the DOS, LOTS of guns and concrete around....

stl

PS If anyone wants an investment opportunity, I'm starting a concrete factory here, screw flying....


PPS Anyone coming to "The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan" preaching Jesus is walking on thin ice, and rightly so. I hope they make it out in one piece - NOT a safe demographic here at the moment.

[DaveP]

wow! nice job and refreshing thread! stay safe.

[Expat]

Good articles sky,

If you have a chance, come our way in Herat.
Keep your eyes open, and you will see a lot os interesting stuff here. Be carefull, as all is not what meets the eyes...especially in counter-narcotics...
Keep your head down, and do not touch anything on the ground!
ex

[sky's the limit]

Thanks Expat,

I almost made it to Herat yesterday, but the DC-3 was having problems with the O2 system, so we jumped in a few Huey's today and flew down to Kandahar. Overflew an I.E.D. on the road side... I'll have some bad pix of that up shortly. They blew out a bridge on Hwy 1 just north of Kanadahar and we flew over just after it happened.

This is truly a trip of firsts.

Going on an all-day aerial excursion around Helmand, the desert, and a variety of other places tomorrow... Three ship formation again, some "hot" areas in the neighbourhood. Promises to be an interesting flight.


stl

[Expat]

I am off tomorrow for a month. Finally! Getting tired of the sound bombs every week end near our house.
It will be nice to walk the streets again...
Have fun! This is Kabul airport soon!
ex

[Cat Driver]

That said, the color of the crap coming out of my nose is rather interesting, keep you posted on any developments on that front.

STL if it is the other " nose " get it looked at real soon because it gets worse real fast.....we need you out there shooting pictures.

DR. Cat:

[sky's the limit]

Cat,

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind, but for now it's just the "upper" nose that is giving me grief....


Expat,

Quite a picture. I hear Kabul looked like that this time last year... I shot the picture below in a T-shirt yesterday, so I can't complain.

We flew down to Kandahar today, and have been settled into the DOS compound at the Base - very nice digs. A bit ashamed to see the Canadians STILL living in tents.... I wish we'd do something about that. However, the troops have an excellent reputation here, but now that I'm here, running around the way I am, I find it incomprehensible we've been operating here without our own air transport for this long. EVERYONE says the shared air assets are in very short supply, and after flying over that I.E.D. today, I'm flabbergasted that we are driving everywhere.

Tomorrow I'm going for a day long flight in three Huey's around Helmand, the poppy production areas, and the Red Desert where I hope to get a few killer shots of the Huey's - fingers crossed.

Just ready to climb in the rack for the night, but first we had our "rocket and mortar attack" briefing. Sounds like the Base here averages one every two nights these days despite the insane security net around the Base. We have Predator Drones up 24/7 here, plus a million other layers of defense. Thus far, I think my biggest issue is eating too much... And that black shit in my nose....

How my camera is surviving this trip I don't know. We landed in a full on brown out today, my gear all out in the back of the Huey and the door open.... I try to blow it out each night, but it's going back to Nikon for a good clean when I get home.

Hope to have some good shots to share tomorrow night.

Have a good trip home Expat. PM me with your details if you can.

stl

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[sky's the limit]

We just lost 3 Canadian soldiers here today, I.E.D. from what I hear. Thoughts go out to the families and their fellow soldiers.

stl

[linecrew]

Hey, that Basler turbine DC-3 passed through Ottawa about a month ago on a weekend while heading over there.

[xsbank]

I heard on the news, that makes an even 100. 1 was too many, but 100? I know why we are over there but I sure hope that when all the dust settles, so to speak, we will be able to say that that was one of our finest hours.

We've all got to go sooner or later, or, like the man says, nobody gets out alive, but I just wish that every soldier gets to be old and funny-looking and can stand at the cenotaph once a year with his buddies.

[nortont]

God speed to the troops...

[costermonger]

Thank you for posting this. Very interesting to hear what it's actually like over there, and fantastic photos.

[sky's the limit]

Hey Folks,

Time for a quick update, been a rather interesting 24hrs or so.

Went out flying all day yesterday in a flight of three D.O.S. Huey's, took in the Red Desert and the Helmand Valley where 90% of the poppy cultivation occurs. Our route was cut short when a military restricted zone popped up in our flight path, apparently there was some ground fighting going on with aerial support being provided by Coalition assets - not sure what, but the French Mirages and British Harriers have been flying day and night the last couple days.

(Side note, saw one of four NASA converted Canberra Bombers that is still flying - very neat a/c, they are based here for surveillance)

We landed back at KAF (Kanadhar Air Field), only to find out three fellow Canadians had lost their lives to a "substantial I.E.D." earlier in the day - exactly where we had been flying. After spending time in the NE of the country, in some of the worst areas for open fighting, mainly along the Pakistan border, it's taken some time to get my bearings down here in the south. The terrain and the fight are very different, and the methods used by both sides are considerably different. The North is mostly US Forces, down here there seems to be every flag under the sun, and then some. The hardware and tactics are diverse, and there seems to be more "politics" going on. Bound to be with so many different perspectives.

I've been writing reams about my thoughts and feelings being here, witnessing the fight up close, and seeing other, non-military programs. I won't bore you with most of those here, but suffice it to say, despite my best efforts at refraining from forming hard opinions, it's very difficult not to. What we are doing here does not work, a few days on the ground talking to people is all you need to figure that out. We are using the wrong tools for the job, and it seems everyone knows it - from the troops, to the locals, to the Ex-pat NGO people, to the Commanders.... Oh wait, the Commanders are the only ones who don't seem to get it.

I attended the official Chinook handing over ceremony and Wing Stand Up for the Canadian Air Force today, the speech I heard from the Brigadier General was almost enough to make me ill. If the people "running" this war actually believe the words that came from his mouth, then it's worse than I thought. I am however far too cynical to believe that. I feel there are a couple reasons we are here, and neither of them have much to do with "winning" a fight that by all accounts we cannot win, and are not winning. This has been a strategic chunk of dirt for millenniums, and that has not changed one iota. Considering the situations in neighboring Pakistan these past few years, India, and of course the proximity to China and Russia, that holds true today.

I was fortunate enough to spend a couple hours in a taxi with the son of a high ranking Afghan Minister in Kabul the other day, we just drove around the city talking... You want an enlightening, depressing, shocking, and sad conversation, that's the way to go about it..! The limitless hope that existed here throughout 2002/2003 has been replaced by despair and gloom. Things have not gone the way the people here had hoped, talking to any local makes that clear, and the future is not looking good with the Taliban once again exerting significant influence.

This gentleman did however stop me in my tracks with one comment. Even after agreeing about the culpability of the U.S., NATO, Pakistan, and Russia in the current state of affairs, he made sure I understood he feels very strongly that Afghans themselves cannot allow themselves to engage in the "blame game" any longer, and it was time for them to pull themselves out of the hole they are in, regardless of how deliberately they have been put here. To say I was taken aback would not be doing it justice. The Afghans I've met so far work hard, fight harder, and struggle to exist in a complex and harsh environment, and I do feel the only way out of this for them is on the strength of their own efforts - we are not really helping in the fashion required thus far. The reality is, Western Forces are sequestered behind HESCO barriers, razor wire, and guns. Hard to "help" for there, even were we to help in a way that is needed. As one Colonel in the US PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) put it, "we have lost the ability to deal with an agrarian society." No kidding.

Anyway, I'll leave it there, but know I will continue to try to "see" what is going on here through as fair a lens as possible, however it is not easy to do considering all the facts/opinions/thoughts I've run across so far.

I'm probably doing a poor job of relaying this to you, as by nature of the medium these are far from complete thoughts with complete sets of information to back them up. Perhaps I'll try to put something more in-depth together and post it in Misc. when I get home, we'll see.

Here are a few shots from yesterday, enjoy.

stl


The Red Desert



My Door Gunner. Nice to spend 6hrs hanging out the door of the Huey watching it all go by.



DOS SAR ship flying chase for us - just in case.



Try to give you some scale.



Close formation Photo Op with the Gunship behind - two Dillon Mini-guns mounted, 3000 rounds per minute. That's what I shot at night out of the Air Force's CSAR ship.



Leaving the Red Desert, moving back into Kandahar Province. This river is the barrier between desert and cultivated land, it runs like a razor for many miles between Helmand and Pakistan. This portion is near where the Canadians patrol, and where the three were killed recently.

[ScudRunner]

Keep the Pics coming, its a view and perspective of a country we here so much about but know and see very little of it. The old Saying a Picture is worth a thousands word and these words need to be expressed yours included. Do I hear book deal Mr STL? Perhaps a coffee table book called "Musings from 300Ft over Afghanistan" Ill buy the first copy! Ive shown anyone I can find these pictures and there stunned and say things like "is that really afghanistan? I thought its a shit hole" I know looks can be deceiving but perhaps if the world could see a country from a different perspective..................

..

[Cat Driver]

Maybe good plan would be to have Harper and the three stooges spend the next two months over there to get an idea of what the world looks like outside of the zoo they call Parliament.

[2R]

Thanks again STL
And they still wonder "Why birds sing"

[xsbank]

Thank you for posting your thoughts and those great photos! I am thoroughly enjoying discovering more about Afghanistan and the sad situation there. I am more and more convinced that we should withdraw our troops and stop adding to the carnage there. I thought when we first went in that we stood no greater chance of 'winning' there than any other group had ever done in the past, and we are much better preserving our role as peace-keepers. I believe we have been wrong from the beginning, trying to fight a war while being badly equipped and the fact that we are only just getting our own helicopters after all these years makes the deaths of those lost in the past even more pointless.

We have the best troops anywhere - we have always been a selfless nation and willing to sacrifice our men and boys for a greater ideal, but we always sent our guys in with the best equipment available to make their jobs easier but we dropped the ball on this one. No air support, no helicopters, no decent accommodation - disgusting. If we want to be a great military entity we need to spend the money and buy equipment that was made this century and send our guys in with the best. Fighters, transports, helicopters, vehicles, maybe even a solid building to live in.

There has to be a better way to help in Afghanistan besides shooting. I know the Taliban are ruthless, but let the countries who have the logistical support do the shooting - we must have a better way to contribute.

Fascinating to see the DC-3 still plugging away after, what, 75 years? Amazing that the basic airframe is so good that it can still fulfill a role today.

[AdamB]

Amazing thread STL, thank you for taking the time to post it.
This is what we should be seeing on the news.

Stay safe, keep shooting and keep writing.

Adam B.