US Air Force/Senior Airman Anthony Nin Leclerec
CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilots after taking off from Felker Army Airfield at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, March 6, 2020.
- Army Reserve aviators 159th General Support Aviation Brigade train regularly to move soldiers and cargo for trainings, combat missions, and humanitarian operations.
- The 244th Bravo Company was nicknamed "Freight Train" in honor of the first 244th Bravo Company, which served in Vietnam.
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JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Virginia - The air around the soldiers is filled with the whirring noise of the helicopter rotors spinning as the blades cut through the air, keeping the helicopter aloft.
More than 25 soldiers with the 359 Transportation Company were transported in a CH-47 Chinook to Wilcox, Virginia to begin their simulated in-country training.
According to US Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jesse Bander, 159th General Support Aviation Brigade, 244th Bravo Company, transporting soldiers is a routine mission, but moving cargo is the unit's bread and butter.
The pilots and crew of the 159th General Support Aviation Battalion 244th Bravo Company at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, transport personnel and cargo to trainings, combat missions and humanitarian efforts.
A well-trained crew can unload an entire Chinook within 13 seconds. Members of the 244th Bravo Company conduct flights on a regular basis to practice this and other skills necessary in case of a hostile environment.