TERRAIN FLIGHT MISSION PLANNING

Terminal Learning Objective: At the completion of this lesson the student will be able to discuss and apply the concepts of terrain flight mission planning Condition: As a UH-60 student pilot. Standard: In accordance with TC 1-237, Fort Rucker Terrain Flight Mission Planning Guide Safety Requirements: None Environmental Considerations: None

REFERENCES TC 1-237 Aircrew Training Manual Ft. Rucker Terrain Flight Mission Planning Guide TC 1-201 Tactical Flight Procedures TC 1-204 Night Flight FM 90-4 Air Assault Operations

HOW THE UNIT RECEIVES THE MISSION Aviation Support Request Warning Order Operations Order (OPORD) Fragmentary Order (FRAGO)

TACTICAL FLIGHT MISSION PLANNING – TASK 2012 Correctly analyze the mission Perform a map or photo reconnaissance, and ensure hazards to flight are plotted Select the appropriate terrain flight modes Select appropriate primary and alternate routes Determine the distance, groundspeed and ETE of each leg of the flight Determine fuel required Obtain and evaluate the weather briefing Perform mission risk assessment per unit SOP Conduct a thorough crew mission briefing.

ANALYZE THE MISSION METT-T MISSION - The Air Mission Commander analyzes the mission and determines the: What Why When Where How of the Operation

ANALYZE THE MISSION METT-T ENEMY- Identification Location Disposition Strength Morale Capabilities Composition Probable courses of action

ANALYZE THE MISSION METT-T TERRAIN -The AMC must consider the following factors: Dominant Terrain Natural Features Possible enemy attack points. Built up areas Hazards to flight Friendly / Enemy Units. Weather and Visibility.

ANALYZE THE MISSION METT-T TERRAIN - OCOKA Observation and Fields of Fire Cover and Concealment Obstacles and Movement Key Terrain Avenues of Approach

ANALYZE THE MISSION METT-T TROOPS - the missions of the supported units and other units that may have an impact on the mission.

ANALYZE THE MISSION METT-T TIME - develop a time table for the flight. To do this, back plan from the mission time (H Hour) back through pre-mission planning to the present time.

PERFORM MAP OR PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE PHOTOGRAPHY TACTICAL 1:50,000 JOG 1:250,000 BEST WHEN CHUMMED AND HAZARDS UPDATED VFR SECTIONAL 1:500,000 FLIPS USE CAUTION WHEN CHANGING FROM ONE MAP TO ANOTHER

MAPS AND PHOTO RECON TARGET IMAGERY

MAP AND PHOTO RECON 1:250,000

MAP AND PHOTO RECON 1:50,000

PERFORM MAP RECONNAISSANCE THESE FACTORS MUST BE CONSIDERED DURING A MAP RECONNAISSANCE Dominant Terrain Natural Features Possible Enemy Attack Points Built-Up Areas Crossroads MSR’s Hazards to Flight Friendly and Enemy Units

SELECT MODES OF FLIGHT Low Level Contour Nap of the Earth

LOW LEVEL FLIGHT Generally carried out above obstacles, but at an altitude where detection by a threat force is avoided or minimized. It usually is performed at a constant indicated altitude and A/S. 80-200’ AHO

CONTOUR FLIGHT Low altitude conforming generally to, and in proximity to, the contours of the earth. It is characterized by varying airspeeds and altitude as dictated by vegetation, obstacles, and ambient light. 25-80’ AHO

NAP OF THE EARTH Varying A/S as close to the earth’s surface as vegetation, obstacles, and ambient light will permit, while generally following the contours of the earth. 0-25’ AHO Not to exceed 40 KIAS (IAW the 1/212TH SOP, this pertains to both day and night operations)

SELECT PRIMARY AND ALTERNATE ROUTES Start Point/ Release Points Air Control Points Communication Points Check Points Rally Points Downed Aviator Pick-up Points Preplanned Artillery and Tac Air

MISSION MAP PREP Critical for mission success Highlight hazards to flight with suitable pen Enter route and ACPs on the map first Mark lit towers, beacons, etc, out 10-15 k Avoid over preparing the map Transfer other map’s key features to JOG Avoid exaggerating map features Orient all notes in direction of flight

MAKE YOUR MAP LOOK LIKE THIS EXAMPLE

START POINT AND RELEASE POINT SYMBOLOGY Course Line – A solid line placed on the map to mark routes flown at low level and contour. A dashed line is used to mark route segments flown at NOE AIR CONTROL POINT START POINT AND RELEASE POINT LZ/PZ/OBJ 048 Heading to next ACP/waypoint 3+45 Time to next ACP/waypoint in minutes + seconds 14.5 Distance to next ACP/waypoint in KM

GENERAL ROUTE AND ACP PLANNING Route Planning - Tactically sound & ease of Navigation Avoid brightly lit areas, roads, populated areas Avoid open areas or large bodies of water where terrain permits Avoid navigational aides and airports Plan the route to take advantage of cover and concealment Plan to negotiate large valleys on lit or shadowed side depending on threat Avoid flying into rising or setting sun or moon Do not follow man-made linear features

GENERAL ROUTE AND ACP PLANNING Route Planning - Continued During multi-aircraft operations, avoid turns greater than 5 degrees once past the RP for landing Avoid turns greater than 60 degrees Select intermediate reference points with ETAs Cross roads close to 90 degrees Do not fly near populations or major roads Compute time, distance, & headings for route, and use barriers & prominent map features Plot time for prominent intersecting features

GENERAL ROUTE AND ACP PLANNING Route Planning - Continued Anticipate wires on roads, towers, & buildings in open fields Plan alternate routes. At a minimum for any leg flown at contour or NOE Minimize turns, ascents and descents, and airspeed changes during multi-helicopter operations Conduct map reconnaissance to determine safe altitude

ACP AND CHECKPOINT PLANNING Select unique features easily detectable at a distance Checkpoints with high contrast Select points away from towns Select points away from bright lights Select points easily confirmed with other features Terrain association Select points 5-20 kilometers apart

ACP AND CHECKPOINT PLANNING Select points with good barriers Ensure first and last points are easily identified and 3-5 kilometers from Start/End Note MSL of each point Select point for final approach leg offering alignment with landing direction Choose prominent features in low visibility Ensure points don’t fall in shadows Should start time at initial takeoff and count cumulatively throughout the route

ROUTE PLANNING CARDS Navigation Card Contains essential navigation info (TDH) Use suitable ink compatible with NVDs Make all letter/number at least 1/4 inch high Use common abbreviations and symbols (e.g., Heading (hdg), Kilometers (km), Degrees (°), Feet (‘), and Knots (kt) Use remarks to describe pertinent information

ROUTE PLANNING CARDS Landing Zone or Objective Card May use to reinforce a map reconnaissance An illustrated LZ or objective card provides a graphic picture of the landing area Should depict size of LZ or objective area, landing & takeoff headings and hazards Accurate as possible Use standard symbols (TC 1-204, Fig 6-2)

LZ/PZ SELECTION TACTICAL Mission. Determine if the mission can be accomplished from the selected LZ. Location. Consider the distance of PZ/LZ from the supported unit or the objective. Security. Consider size and proximity of threat elements.

LZ/PZ SELECTION TECHNICAL Size. Determine if the size will support number of aircraft for the mission. Minimum recommended size 50 meters for a UH-60. Landing Formation. Plan landing formation for size and shape of LZ. Barriers. For mission requiring sling loads near maximum gross weight of aircraft, select LZ which have barriers of minimum vertical development. Surface Conditions. Consider slopes; blowing sand or snow; concealed hazards; sources of rotor wash signature. Obstacles. Plan approach and departure over lowest obstacles.

LZ/PZ SELECTION METEOROLOGICAL Ceiling and Visibility Winds. Consider the effects of winds when selecting approach and departure paths. Pressure Altitude and Temperature. May limit loads and require more sorties. Sun and Moon. Avoid planning approach or departure routes into a rising or setting sun or moon.

OBTAIN AND EVALUATE WEATHER BRIEFING Sunset and Sunrise Density Altitudes Temperatures Winds Visibility Restrictions Moonset and Moonrise Ambient Light Levels

PERFORM MISSION RISK ASSESSMENT Apply the five steps of the risk management process Hazards to terrain flight Physical Hazards Natural Hazards Weather Hazards Human Hazards Other Factors

CREW BRIEFING The ability of individual crewmembers to work as a team is crucial to the success of the mission The ability of the crew to interact collectively with other aircraft is crucial to the success of the mission Inflight cockpit communications Description Direction Distance Speed

MISSION PLANNING AND BRIEFINGS Planning considerations Training missions should be as realistic as possible & all crew members should be involved with mission planning Navigator should make final route selection Charts & diagrams should be to scale & TDH should be double & triple checked Remember to consider worst case situations

MISSION PLANNING AND BRIEFINGS Briefing Considerations Formal brief should allow time to adjust for problems raised during the brief Final brief should be just before departure to update WX, confirm times, discuss changes Brief entire mission in detail & hold individual flight briefings after formal brief. Each crew member should be able to discuss mission Conduct final check on equipment & fix

REVIEW OF THE MISSION PROCCESS Preparation and planning Briefings Rehearsals Execution

QUESTIONS?

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS Most up to date Objective area Holding area ACP Triple check coordinates Accurate North arrow depiction Orient in direction of approach if possible Objective area Holding area ACP Time and assets will determine if photos are feasible

ROUTE PLANNING CARDS En Route Card Used to reinforce a map reconnaissance Should display all essential information for each phase of the flight or mission May be constructed for all phases of flight and landings Should be as accurate as possible Should use good contrast colors

ROUTE PLANNING CARDS Route planning cards include navigation card, en route card, and LZ or objective card. Most knee board packets contain much more information though.

SAND TABLES AND TERRAIN BOARDS Valuable for night Ops Time permitting One board for AO One board for Objective One board for en route portion Must be accurate to be of value

DIGITAL MISSION REHERSAL SIMULATORS Top Scene Valuable for no fail Ops Time permitting Requisition of Shelved hot spots Route need not be detailed Objective Area must be detailed to the point of shadow casting and hazards Equipment Availability Must be accurate to be of value