Posted on Jun 7, 2023
LTC Stephen Conway
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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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LTC Stephen Conway
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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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LTC Stephen Conway
LTC Stephen Conway
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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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LTC Stephen Conway
LTC Stephen Conway
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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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For those of you who served in OEF, did you fly your last leg to your provincial reconstruction team in a Sherpa or similar aircraft?
MAJ Ron Peery
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No. Flying in was always a C-130. When we were leaving after our tour, we drove from Farah to Herat, and had to hitch a ride on an ancient IL-76 after waiting two days for our "scheduled" flight that never came. That took us as far as Kabul after a roundabout route through Kandahar.
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LTC Trent Klug
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Sherman are okay, but when you have to put a block under the rear to keep it from tipping...well, you have to wonder about the designer.
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LTC Trent Klug
LTC Trent Klug
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Sherpas not Shermans.
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LTC Stephen Conway
LTC Stephen Conway
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LTC Trent Klug
For a second I thought you were talking about the Israeli super Sherman with the 105 gun. LOL

I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the aircraft that I'm asking about. It looks similar in the front but I can't remember if it had that split tail.
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LTC Stephen Conway
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LTC Stephen Conway
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LTC Stephen Conway
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Edited >1 y ago
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SGM Jeff Mccloud
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I rode a Sherpa between Campbell and Bragg, and jumped out of a Sherpa at least once at Bragg, before the war started.

My ride into Kandahar on Christmas Eve 2001 was a C-17, still with that new car smell.
The first and last time I rode in a USAF airframe that was not years older than me.
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LTC Stephen Conway
LTC Stephen Conway
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Thanks, Sergeant major! Check out the other videos that I have on this feed where I have some soldiers in Illinois card playing guitar at christmas, a Christmas parade done with vehicles done inside our provincial reconstruction team and driving from the outside of our base on a Gator all the way to the Tactical operations center. Even though you were probably not at professional reconstruction team f a r a h, I'm sure you'll see some similarities in all the bases you have visited with mine.
LTC Trent Klug Lt Col Charlie Brown LTC (Join to see) Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin MAJ Ron Peery 1LT (Join to see) SGM Jeff Mccloud 1SG Russell Scott
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CSM Thomas Ray
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Yes, we called them, UUFO (Ugly, Unidentified, Flying, Object), I recall when loaded, we would have to go to the front for takeoff, because of the weight. They were not pressurized and were hell on the ears. As I recall they were manufactured in Ireland.
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