By providing additional cargo-carrying capacity, private contractor SkyLink plays a valuable role in keeping coalition troops off dangerous roads. SkyLink Photo
This story appears in “Canadian Combat Helicopters in Afghanistan,” a special supplement to the Dec’10-Jan’11 Vertical. To read the entire supplement, sign in at www.www.verticalmag.com/digital
The Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing was created to help keep troops off dangerous roads, and for the past two years that is exactly what it has done. But it’s not alone: a civilian company, SkyLink Aviation, has made valuable contributions to the same cause. Flying Mil Mi-8MTV and Kamov Ka-32 helicopters, SkyLink works closely with the Air Wing and other NATO partners to provide non-combat-related logistical support to forward operating bases across Afghanistan.
“Our focus here is on timely and effective resupply of our troops on the ground,” explained Bob Waring, SkyLink’s theatre director for Afghanistan. “We’re fully integrated into the system, and we work in close co-operation with the Air Wing.”
A Canadian company headquartered in Toronto, Ont., SkyLink has offices around the world: from London, England, to Khartoum, Sudan. It has been in business for over 20 years and has provided similar services in 75 countries worldwide. Its offices at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) are the headquarters for its operations in Afghanistan, which are significant – SkyLink has more than 200 employees and 34 aircraft in the country, giving it the largest presence of any civilian aviation contractor in theatre.
Currently, the company has six Mil Mi-8MTVs flying in direct support of the Canadian Forces, in addition to its contracts with other nations and organizations. Most of its ships in Afghanistan are Mi-8MTVs, although it also operates some Kamov Ka-32s, purpose-built external-load helicopters. On the fixed-wing side, it operates the Antonov An-26 transport aircraft.
The Complete Outfit
Unlike many civilian contractors that rely on their clients for logistical support, SkyLink is self-sufficient. “We come in, we’re given a piece of ground, and we proceed to put in the infrastructure,” said Waring. At KAF, SkyLink has built an impressive compound out of sea containers that serves not only as its operational headquarters, but as a full-service “hotel” for its numerous employees. The company even operates its own dining facility (DFAC) so it can conduct flight operations without being constrained by the fixed hours of DFACs elsewhere on base. The compound also offers other perks that are unique in a war zone, including a sauna; an aviary, to provide the familiar sound of birdsong; and bunkers decorated with potted plants.
“One of the things we strive very hard to do is reduce the level of stress for all our people,” said Waring. “We go out of our way to establish the best possible accommodations and make things as normal as we can.”
Good training also helps in this regard. The Mi-8MTVs operate with a crew of five: a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and two dedicated ground technicians. Because Russian helicopters are scarce in the West, most of SkyLink’s crews hail from Eastern Europe. And, although all of SkyLink’s pilots must demonstrate International Civil Aviation Organization Level 4 English proficiency when they hire on, the company runs language classes to help them further improve their English skills – which are critical for situational awareness in Afghanistan’s multi-national airspace.
Flight crews work schedules of four months on, four months off. Training for all crewmembers is intensive, and pilots undergo thorough checkrides when they return to theatre after time off, even if they have significant experience in Afghanistan. “Our basic perspective is, you can’t have too much training,” said Waring.
Safe and Simple
Flight requests to SkyLink are typically submitted about 48 hours in advance (although it has the capability to respond on much shorter notice). Once a flight request is received, SkyLink’s flight operations crew prepares a draft flight plan in line with the company’s “hub-and-spoke” operating model. Obviously the particular threats associated with operating in a war zone are always front-of-mind for management and flight crews, which is why a full-time security manager is involved in making go/no-go decisions.
“We’re making sure when we fly into a location that it’s at an acceptable threat level,” said Waring. This sometimes limits SkyLink’s availability compared to armed military helicopters, but it’s essential in mitigating risk for the civilian flight crews. Additionally, aircraft are under positive flight following at all times, and operations managers have the ability to correspond with flight crews in the cockpit via text messaging. “We have a very robust communications suite,” observed Waring.
Although the communications technology is sophisticated, little else about the Mi-8MTV is particularly advanced – which is a distinct advantage in Afghanistan’s harsh, dusty operating environment. “We have all the required systems and redundancy that we need, but we don’t have the extra systems that are always breaking.”
This “simple-is-better” philosophy extends to the cabin as well: although SkyLink experimented with various roller systems for loading cargo, it eventually replaced them with plain plywood floors that are changed on a regular basis. It’s a cheap, versatile system that particularly makes sense given that cargo is unloaded at most of the forward operating bases by hand.
“Again, it gets back to basics,” said Waring, praising the MTV as uniquely suited to the operating environment. “This is an aircraft that had its genesis in Afghanistan. . . . It’s a beautiful platform; very, very good for this application, which is high, hot and heavy.”
Maintaining Value
SkyLink has the capability and authorization to perform the full range of maintenance activities in theatre. One of the biggest challenges is simply scheduling maintenance activities: parts must be ordered well in advance, and flight schedules must be manipulated to ensure that aircraft are not on the ground unnecessarily.
In addition to its computerized recordkeeping, SkyLink uses a large whiteboard to provide an immediate visual overview of required inspections and life-limited parts. “We have a very strong and detailed maintenance program. We’re very paranoid about maintenance – understandably so.” As a result, SkyLink claims to have a serviceability rate of around 95 per cent.
Since SkyLink brought its first two helicopters to Afghanistan in April 2008, it has flown 44,000 hours, and moved 22,700 passengers and 29,500 tonnes (29.5 million kilograms or about 65 million pounds) of cargo both internally and externally, by way of underslung loads. Thanks to its expertise in operating successfully in difficult environments, that pace is not likely to slacken anytime soon – which is fortunate not only for the company, but for the troops depending on it.
“We’re very proud of the family, and we operate as a family,” said Waring. “At the end of every day, you know you have made a difference.”