CAMP ZAMA, Japan (Army News Service, Feb. 4, 2005) - Army pilots in Japan landed their Black Hawk helicopters, packed full of Soldiers and equipment, on the deck of the USS Cowpens Jan 19.

UH-60 pilots from the 78th Aviation Battalion in Japan battled unpredictable crosswinds in the open ocean to make these landings on the speeding cruiser underway from Yokosuka Naval Base. The deck landing qualification training was conducted prior to the exercise Yama Sakura which took place in Japan from Jan. 25 to 31.

"The purpose of this training was to increase the operational flexibility of U.S. Army Japan," said Capt. Daniel Rice, the 78th Avn. Bn. S-3. "This training is not common to Army aviation, but it is necessary, especially while stationed on an island in the Pacific Area of Operations."

After months of preparation and coordination with the Cowpens and Atsugi Naval Air Facility's Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 51, the first Black Hawk from Camp Zama departed Japan's rocky shores for the Cowpens in the early morning hours of Jan. 19.

Once the aircraft's pilot, Chief Warrant Officer In Kim, had successfully qualified by conducting five consecutive successful landings on the landing pad of the Cowpens, he returned to Camp Zama to train the remaining pilots waiting for their turn. Kim explained how difficult it is to land in a small space on a ship surrounded by water.

"The landing area is very limited, especially when our UH-60 tail wheel is positioned differently than the Navy SH-60s. We only have less than seven feet of room on the back side of the deck, and the front of the deck has a wall approximately 12 feet from the rotor system."

The training was completed, though, without any injuries or accidents. But the crew chiefs from the 78th Avn. Bn. participating in the training never had a doubt in their minds about the skill of their pilots.

"That's not a problem in this unit," said Sgt. Kyle Clutter, a crew chief who participated in the training. "I trust my life with every pilot in my unit. They are some of the most professional people I have ever known and crewed for."

After the training was finished, the pilots returned to Camp Zama. Leaders of the 78th Avn. Bn. said they plan to keep their pilots current on this qualification.

(Pfc. Matthis Chiroux is a staff writer for the Torii newspaper at Camp Zama, Japan.)