Posted on Jun 7, 2023
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My Civil Affairs Battalion (426th CA BN, Upland, California) was flown in by commercial jet to Kyrgyzstan. We were then flown by a C-17 into Afghanistan. From there, our teams were reassigned to different bases throughout Afghanistan. After a couple of days, we were flown to the Provincial Reconstruction Team FARAH province Afghanistan in an aircraft similar or like to this one. I cannot recall exactly.

Did any of you fly to your final destination in this Army Sherpa aircraft? The aircraft was civilian contracted and the pilot was definitely over 60 years old. It reminded me of the CIA 1960s and '70s Air America. The cockpit did not have a cockpit door.

Two soldiers who served with me could not recall what aircraft we flew in, but this aircraft looks like the type. You had one seat at each window and a cargo area that you would load from the back. I don't remember if it had this tail section so I'm asking Rally Point members who served in Afghanistan if they recall contractors flying them to their respective forward operating bases on aircraft like these?

It was propeller-driven like this and very noisy. I doubt the aircraft was pressurized.

I did fly an ISAF flight (weekly Taxi) C-130 transport that would fly to Farah to Khandahar, Bagram, Kabul, Herat and back to Farah. I also saw Turbo Prop DC-3s at Farah. I just wanted those reading this to know I know my aircraft but for some reason, I did not take pictures of this aircraft before boarding or after landing in Farah, Afghanistan.

I have a video of a Canadian ISAF flight that took us to Khandahar for a Civil Affairs project we were working to get approved. I will post it in the comments.
Edited >1 y ago
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1LT Chaplain Candidate
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I entered Afghanistan almost the same way you did sir, back in '09. Commerical to Kyrgyzstan, C-130 to Bagram, C-130 to KAF, Chinook to Shindand. On RR, I hitched a ride on a civilian helicopter, but for the life of me I cannot remember the details. Great flight, just me and the pilot. I think it was from Bagrum to KAF.
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I still have some of the currency from Kyrgyzstan. I took lots of pictures but just not when I was about the board that small transport plane.

Here was one of my later flights I took when I had to go to Kandahar on business to try to get a ring Road Project approved.

https://youtu.be/FilhnEu5eD8
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Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin
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No, my last tour (2013) I flew commercial into Al Udied, then took military transport into Kyrgyzstan, followed by C-17 into Kandahar, or straight into Shindand, and leaving through Kandahar and Bagram (R&R / Redeployment). While in country stationed at Shindand (2013-14) I got to and from Herat via the AAF's Cessna 208. For my first deployment for OEF in 2002, I was forward deployed to Bagram from Saudi by taking a C-130 into Seeb, Oman, followed by another C-130 into Bagram.
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I'm surprised we didn't fall out something like that because we didn't have that many team members going to our base in Western Afghanistan.

LTC Trent Klug Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin MAJ Ron Peery 1SG Russell Scott
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Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin
Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin
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These were the Afghan Air Force's light transport aircraft. We'd (the US Air Advisor Pilots, not me) fly them as well, and we used them to go back and fourth from Shindand to Herat.
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