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Friday, December 16, 2005
Hair-raising flight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the skies above Iraq — This was Capt. Scott McKeever’s last flight into Baghdad International Airport before going home for a few months. The Air Force captain who has been flying C-130 cargo planes since 2002 was on his third deployment.
He sat confidently behind the yoke in the cockpit with his co-pilot and two other crew members. The four had become fast friends over the four-month deployment, during which they ferried passengers — soldiers, contractors, government officials and journalists — from Kuwait into Baghdad.
“They make fun of my melon,” McKeever, 29, said of his head.
They made fun of a lot of other things as well as the plane soared high above lands that are perilous to U.S. soldiers.
“You’re free to get up and look around,” said McKeever, a native Atlantan who graduated from St. Pius X high school.
To which Staff Sgt. Joseph Frantz, added: “Yeah, there’s desert on this side. And desert on the other side.”
“Hey, were you there when the guy went up on the crane?”
Frantz inquired about the 57-hour standoff between murder suspect Carl Roland and Atlanta police.
That question sparked a conversation about the series of events in Buckhead last May.
But McKeever said no matter the banter, the crew was keenly aware of the dangers below.
“It’s a tough job,” he said. “The insurgents are trying to shoot at you. The communications capabilities are not always great. There’s a lot of activity, a lot of planes in the area. So you have to be extremely sharp at all times. But it’s exciting. I enjoy this job.”
As the plane began its descent into Baghdad, McKeever and crew donned flak jackets for safety.
“We’re going in,” Mckeever said.
Just seconds from landing, McKeever suddenly took his plane back up. Another plane was still sitting on the runway. Bad communication from air traffic controllers.
The passengers inside the cargo hold had no idea what was going on — the C-130 has just a few tiny windows.
But from the cockpit, the situation was scary for this lone journalist. I thought the end was near before I had even touched Iraqi soil.
After a few hair-raising twists and turns, we were back on for a landing. This time, McKeever landed the plane without any problems. We were free to walk into the combat zone.
Happy holidays. With love, from Iraq
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We asked members of the 48th BCT in Iraq to share their holiday greetings and wishes for family and friends. • PHOTOS AND COMMENTS
