Flying Carpet

Private pilot flies for the military

"Kevin's not here," said his wife, Brooke, when I called to invite my friends aloft. "He's flying some sort of 'secret' Air Force mission in New Mexico."

Huh? Kevin is no more a military pilot than I am. He and Brooke, both private pilots, fly a Velocity kitplane they built themselves (see "Flying Carpet: Pilot Nightmares," November 2005 AOPA Flight Training). The Velocity is an all-composite four-seat canard pusher, meaning the wings, engine, and propeller are mounted on the rear of the airplane, with a small canard lifting surface in front. I could hardly wait for Kevin's return to learn about this intriguing mission.

"The opportunity came as a total surprise," Kevin explained when I finally reached him. "I got a call from a company named Vector Force saying, 'We work for the government and are testing a new target tracking system. The Velocity is one of the only planes approved for this type of testing because it closely simulates UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] like the Predators used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Could you come over to Alamogordo and fly a mission for us in yours?'"

Kevin's first impression was that the call was a hoax. "At the time I'd listed my plane for sale and thought the guy was trying to con me over to New Mexico for a free ride. When he said the company's Web site was down, I became even more suspicious."

To check the caller's story, Kevin phoned Velocity Aircraft and confirmed that Vector Force President Rob Wentz, also a Velocity owner, had indeed contacted them seeking another nearby Velocity to assist in a two-airplane mission. "When I learned these guys were legit, I called back and said, 'Count me in! When do you need me?'"

It turned out that Vector Force flies aerial target missions for the U.S. military. "They operate several Velocity aircraft like Brooke's and mine, along with Bell and Eurocopter helicopters and various contracted aircraft," explained Kevin. "Apparently the Velocity is cheaper to fly than a real Predator, which is why they use it. Since the mission required two Velocities and they only had one available, they contracted me to fly the mission in ours. But then their airplane was grounded with a damaged propeller so they asked me to stay a few days and fly both missions separately."

The next thing you know, Kevin and his trusty dog Malki were winging their way to Alamogordo. Kevin excitedly described his aerial journey from Phoenix to El Paso, and from there threading the mile-wide passage between restricted areas to White Sands Regional Airport. "I was apprehensive about flying into Alamo-gordo given the narrow corridor-thankfully my GPS and multifunction display made the deed pretty much foolproof."

Kevin reported to nearby Holloman Air Force Base at 4 a.m. the next day for the mission briefing. "First they collected everyone's cell phones and took them out of the room," he explained. "That didn't surprise me, but then they asked if anyone lacked a security clearance. Of course I didn't have one so they made me wait outside while briefing the mission-and after all, I was the assigned pilot!"

Between missions, Wentz invited Kevin and Malki to join him flying a Bell 206 JetRanger to El Paso, to check out a replacement propeller for Vector Force's Velocity. "For a fixed-wing pilot like me, the helicopter ride was quite a thrill," said Kevin. "We flew all the way from Alamogordo to El Paso at no more than 500 feet."

That brought to mind another observation. "These guys are pros, and it was interesting to see how differently they tackled maintenance issues than I do as a private owner. I had a problem with my alternator while there, and was impressed with how unemotionally the Vector Force people dealt with it. Normally I'd be wringing my hands and saying, 'Oh no, what's the cheapest way to get this done?' but they just said, 'We'll get a mechanic out here, get it tested, and fix it.' Whatever it takes to get the mission done, they take it in stride. It turned out the alternator was bad-we replaced it and I was back to flying in no time."

"So tell me about the flight missions themselves, Kevin!"

"Actually they were pretty straightforward," said my friend. "After installing a device in my plane to corroborate my exact position with their tracking equipment, they cleared me to enter White Sands Missile Range restricted airspace. I was a little nervous about working with military controllers, but despite some unfamiliar lingo it turned out to be no big deal. Each one-hour mission consisted of flying to pre-assigned coordinates at different altitudes while the trackers shot electronic darts at me. Simultaneously, two other contracted pilots flew low-level missions in a pair of BD-5 microjets-it's the only type of general aviation plane that effectively simulates a missile."

"What were your thoughts, Kevin, flying into restricted airspace after avoiding it for so many years?" I guess I imagined the air might smell like gunpowder in there, or be a different color.

"As a civilian, feeling like you're part of the military certainly has its mystique. I remember considering my prior concerns, like inadvertently entering restricted airspace and getting intercepted by F-16s. But here I was, assigned my own Air Force mission code to enter a restricted area and participate! In the past I always thought of the military as cops. But here I was actually flying for them. So instead of apprehension I remember thinking, Hey! I'm part of the team!"

Greg Brown was the 2000 National Flight Instructor of the Year. His books include Flying Carpet, The Savvy Flight Instructor, The Turbine Pilot's Flight Manual, Job Hunting for Pilots, and You Can Fly! Visit his Web site. Visit Vector Force Inc.) and Velocity Aircraft.