"Being in one of the most storied helicopter companies in the U.S. The responsibility of upholding the legacy of their Vietnam brethren is not lost on the current "Spiders" of Company A. When the unit was re-designated as C Company, 101st Aviation Bn, in 1968 the gunships were reassigned to D company 101st Aviation Battalion and became the HAWKS.) (Note: The Spiders were not the only ones in the 188th, but were instead the gunship platoon that flew in support of the two slick platoons that were also part of the three flight platoons of the company known as the Black Widows. Upon the completion of a successful engagement, the "Spiders" would always sign off with ground forces using their well-earned motto, "Guns up!" The "Spiders" of Vietnam were known to the ground Soldiers and Green Berets as "The Spider People," and were characterized by their reputation for being the only helicopters brave enough to launch when ground units were under heavy enemy fire. During the 1960s they made a name for itself as an armed UH-1 "Huey" gun platoon. The Spiders 24-hour coverage over the P2K region ensures ground force commanders have the flexibility to move combat power when needed.Ī company with a call sign that dates back to Vietnam, the "Spiders," first made a name for themselves as the 188th Assault Helicopter Company. One way to quickly move combat power on the battlefield in order to capitalize on enemy weaknesses is through the use of Viper's Black Hawks. Maintaining momentum is key to exploiting enemy weaknesses and capitalizing on friendly gains on the battlefield. "Timely insertion of troops and equipment give ground force commanders the momentum they need to defeat the enemy," said Chief Warrant Officer Rich Satterfield, a pilot with A Co., 4/3 Avn., TF Viper, from Patterson, N.J. They are Company A, "SPIDERS" (4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment), 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Task Force Viper's lethal Black Hawk unit who is continuously entrusted by Soldiers with the mission of safe passage across the P2K region of the provinces Paktika, Paktiya and Khowst. By the time a 30-second call is passed back over the intercom system, the Soldiers' shouts of excitement and enthusiasm become a roar that seems to overcome the noise from the engines and the rotor blades.īased out of Forward Operating Base Salerno, these Black Hawks soaring through the air are not your ordinary helicopter unit. The pilot calls, "one minute" as the crew chief relays back to the team leader on board with hand signals and a shout. The twin 1,800-horse power engines roar with power as the 'hawks begin their approach into what is expected to be an extremely dusty landing zone in a dry river bed. Dustin Healey, 4/3 Avn., 3rd CAB, TF FalconįORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan - Under a blanket of darkness two Black Hawks maneuver low to the ground as they advance vigilantly toward an enemy safe haven, poised to insert lethal ground forces. Performs aircrew member duties as a Crew Chief performs maintenance operational checks diagnoses and troubleshoots malfunctions in aircraft subsystems performs scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and inspections maintains and updates aircraft logbook forms and records.About Us / Our History Article found online – “Along came the Spiders” By Capt. Performs and installs aircraft subsystem assemblies such as engines, rotors, gearboxes, transmissions, mechanical flight controls and their components services and lubricates aircraft and their subsysems prepares aircraft for inspections and maintenance checks performs scheduled inspections and assists in performing special inspections performs limited maintenance operational checks and assists in diagnosing and troubleshooting aircraft subsystems prepares forms and records related to maintenance performs in flight duties as a non rated flight crew member. Supervises, trains, coaches, and mentors maintainers in ICTL10-20 tasks evaluates maintainers conducting ICTL10 tasks reviews and refines training techniques and procedures and contents of the AMTP and makes recommendations for changes monitors the status and advises the section sergeant of the squad's maintenance training, its capabilities, and proficiency of maintainers administers and records maintenance training and ensures accurate record keeping of individual maintainer training.
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