Dyess B-1s, airmen settle in at Ellsworth

7th Bomb Wing deploys during runway repairs

By Ryan Woodard, Journal staff | Wednesday, September 19, 2007

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The airmen of Dyess Air Force Base's 7th Bomb Wing are used to being deployed to different locations, and often overseas in hostile environments such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

So spending a few months in the Black Hills doesn't seem too bad, according to Maj. Michael Colvard, deployed aircraft maintenance squadron commander for the Dyess AFB 7th Bomb Wing.

"You compare this to a desert deployment, where you're living in a tent and taking hostile fire -- comparatively, it's been a very smooth transition," he said.

Colvard and about 350 airmen from Dyess are only starting to get settled in at Ellsworth Air Force Base after spending about a week here. About 300 more airmen will arrive Thursday, as will additional B-1B Lancer bombers from Dyess.

That will round out the 20 B-1s and 550 airmen that were scheduled to be hosted at Ellsworth for six to eight weeks, depending on weather.  

The crews and planes will be here for about two months while the main runway at Dyess is repaired.

Ellsworth was chosen to host the crews and planes because it was seen as the most cost-effective option.

The airmen are treating the experience as just another deployment, according to Col. Gavin Ketchen, vice commander of the 7th Bomb Wing.

"It's difficult because you're not with your families," he said. "But airmen today are used to deployments. So they're prepared and ready to execute flying and fixing airplanes, no matter where we're tasked to do it."

During their stay at Ellsworth, the Dyess airmen will be staying in dormitories and a couple of other buildings, according to Ketchen. Ketchen said the deployment is going well.

"I think it's been pretty smooth and seamless so far," he said. "I think time will tell as we get a couple more weeks into it. Any time you change your living arrangements, it's kind of interesting as you get adjusted to that."

While at Ellsworth, the Dyess crews will fly various missions to keep up their training, just as they would at their base in Abilene, Texas. The flights will begin in a few days, according to Lt. Col. Michael Tichenor, operations group commander for the 7th Bomb Wing.

He said 7th Bomb Wing pilots will fly missions in Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wyoming -- the same places the B-1 crews at Ellsworth's 28th Bomb Wing run their training missions.

Tichenor said the pilots are looking forward to flying the B-1s in different locations than they're used to. They will need to be briefed about what to expect.

"But we know how to adjust to that," he said. "Every day when you fly to a range or to a military operating area, you sit down and talk about everything that you need to talk about."

That can include diverse information including how high or low pilots can fly, how fast they can fly and other factors, Tichenor said.

Tichenor said the cold South Dakota weather is the one thing that will be a major adjustment.

"That's really our biggest adjustment, is just the weather and new ranges," he said. "But we know how to brief to that and learn those things."

He said the B-1s from the 7th Bomb Wing are being stored on the south ramp area of Ellsworth, an area that is used only every three or four months.

Ketchen said the 7th Bomb Wing currently has about 1,200 members deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The stay at Ellsworth is enabling the others from Dyess to keep up their training, which wouldn't be possible at Dyess because of repairs on the runway.

Ketchen said it will be useful for the 7th and 28th Bomb Wings to work together, which they have never done before. The groups will be able to learn from each other, he said.

And so far, the host crews have been helpful, he said.

"It's been outstanding so far," he said. "We've got great support from the 28th Bomb Wing."

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com