109th Airlift Wing Airmen travel to Brazil as part of National Guard partnership program
STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Scotia, N.Y. (10/03/2019) — Six Airmen from the 109th Airlift Wing traveled to Rio de Janerio in Brazil, Sept. 14-21, as part of the New York National Guard's new state partnership with the Brazilian armed forces.
The Airmen visited their counterparts in the Brazilian Air Force's 1st Squadron of the 1st Squadron of the 1st Transport Group at Galeao Air Base in Rio.
The pilots and maintenance personnel talked about Antarctic flying operations with the Brazilian Airmen.
Just as the 109th Airlift Wing specializes in support American science operations in Antarctica, the Airman of Brazil's 1st Squadron support the Brazilian research station in Antarctica's South Shetland Islands.
This is on the opposite side of the continent from McMurdo Station, the main U.S. base, which is the home station for the 109th in Antarctica.
"We went to do an overview of each other's missions; finding the similarities and differences in the rules and regulations that govern us and to share flying techniques in the harsh Antarctic environment," said Master Sgt., Chris Collins, a flight engineer at the 109th.
The biggest difference between the two units is that the Brazilian Air Force operates between South America and the Antarctica. The 109th, meanwhile, tends to operates mainly within Antarctica, flying to different locations throughout the continent from the base at McMurdo Sound.
But, Collins explained, the missions are similar because they all deal with same difficulties forecasting weather and responding to the pressure the complete as many missions as possible.
"Aircrew are the same all over the world. We all experience the same types of pressures to get the job done" said Lt. Col. Seth Barrows, a navigator at the 109th.
"We learned there are differences in our rules and how we operate, but overall we face the same challenges and it was interesting to find those similarities," he added.
The State Partnership Program, which is a program administered by the National Guard Bureau and pairs states with a partner country's armed forces or equivalent to create a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship.
The New York National Guard has had a state partnership relationship with the South African National Defense Forces since 2003.
The partnership deal between the New York National Guard and the Brazilian armed forces was inked in March of 2019 during a ceremony at the U.S.S. Intrepid Museum in New York City.
This was the first exchange between the 109th and the Brazilians. The hope is to collaborate more in the future to keep learning from each other.
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Airmen from the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing pose with members of the Brazilian Air Force's 1st Squadron, 1st Transport Group at Galeao Air Base in Rio de Janerio during a State Partnership Program exchange in September, 2019. The 109th Airlift Wing specializes in flying in the Antarctica and Arctic and discussed Antarctic flying with their Brazilian counterparts. The New York National Guard entered into a state partnership with Brazil in March, 2019. (Courtesy photo)
New York National Guard
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