Chasing Hawgs, Catching Hawks

By Robert Griffiths

Most of you who know me, know I recently made a major life change but upping my roots and settling just outside Detroit, Michigan from my home of South Wales. As big an event as this was, it was also exciting. Not merely because it meant I could start my life with my American wife but the opportunities that would materialize in the spotting envelope of my life. Just North of Detroit is Selfridge Air National Guard Base, housing the 107th Fighter Squadron and 171st Air Refueling Squadron, meaning A10s and KC135s respectively. On top of that, Selfridge houses CH47 Chinooks of the Army National Guard, MH65 Dauphins of the US Coast Guard and UH60s of Border Patrol… quite the mix of aircraft for sure.

I recently took a trip north, in the depths of a Michigan winter in the hopes to capture Warthogs in the wild doing what they do best… Aerial Gunnery Practice at the Grayling Aerial Gunnery Range. As part of keeping a pulse with the local community, officials at Camp Grayling have opened up the range to civilians on a Tuesday afternoon (weather depending as always in the hobby). This was my chance to hear that sound synonymous with the ‘hawg’ everyone knows.

The week we chose to go was also a week when Camp Grayling hosts one of two major exercises a year, called Northern Strike, on the many ranges in the locale. Marine F18s were hosted at Selfridge for flight training using the same ranges as the A10s, Wisconsin and Michigan Army National Guard also attended for what would be arctic type training in sub zero temperatures, doing everything from artillery firing, small arms training, snowmobiling etc. My hope would be that the ranges would be alive with the sound of Brrrrrrrt!

Tuesday morning came and we left the hotel in Petoskey in the early hours, driving on snow covered roads that had been blasted overnight. Our plan was to go stake out Grayling Army Airfield in the hope of capturing some rotary action before then heading to Range 40 for the hawg action. At this point the weather was thinking other plans for our day.

After waiting a bit in the Jeep, trying to stay warm in the sub zero temps (under 20f) I decided to take a look at the spotters friend, ADSB Exchange to see if anything was showing up that might be heading our way. Thankfully a Selfridge based Chinook was only a few miles South of where we were, and gave us ample time to get our gear and wrap up to stay warm. The only thing that might stop us was the ever increasing snow fall. Soon we started hearing that unmistakable noise, and before long saw a familiar shape heading our way. As she came in and descended, a maelstrom of snow was kicked up and before long it disappeared into a complete whiteout.

Chinook Whiteout

After this, I did what we all do, check social media hoping for any nuggets of information to possible arrivals. One thing I’ve noticed is that getting information is a lot harder for less frequented places. This isn’t Lakenheath, Fairford or Coningsby for sure! I noticed a clip posted on the Camp Grayling page of the same Chinook coming in and after which I commented that their view was much better. Now, I must clarify I had been conversing with the Public Liaison person for some time before this day so we did know about one another. Next thing I received a message at which point I hastily gave the wife a curt, ‘we gotta get to the main gate’. It would be at this point we would meet my contact for the first time and be invited to watch the underslung load training that was scheduled. Unfortunately, the weather radar was postponing it for at least a few hours, so it was off to the local McDonald’s for a coffee and hot chocolate to warm up!

Several hours and messages later it still wasn’t looking great weather wise, and the snow falling incessantly only compounded the sinking feeling that this just wasn’t going to be our day. It definitely became a spotter moniker of ‘Hurry up and wait’. At last the snow stopped, but now the cloud ceiling was causing issues but was set to clear in the next couple of hours. More good news, a duo of Grand Ledge based Blackhawks was on its way north to also complete some training. 

Back on the base, the Chinook was already running, waiting to start its work on getting a massive M777 Howitzer latched on for the Wisconsin NG training. We found our spot and watched as the Chinook lifted a few feet above the apron and held its position… which usually means, yup, there’s the two Blackhawks coming in from the South, now was the time to start snapping away in the frigid temperatures. Oddly enough, with my adrenaline spiked as it usually does with aviation the cold didn’t seem to bother me for some time, especially when I was witnessing something for the first time.

Wisconsin Guard latch the Howitzer

Blackhawks taxying, Chinook hooking up an artillery piece, what isn’t to love. The Chinook did a couple of latching on and off before it kicked in the throttle and lifted off heading back home as the Blackhawks shut down for a briefing. After shutting down and the crew disappearing we took refuge in the tanker hangar with the Army guys. After some conversations about life, how we got to be here and meeting others it looked like there was finally movement and back outside we went to watch the start up.

Action! Now was what we had all been waiting for, underslung load training in this arctic conditions, brrr! As we were waiting our host said that temperatures under the helicopters can reach -30f  (-34C!). Boy, was I glad to be as far away as I was and taking photos, but that doesn’t mean we were blasted by the snow as one of the Blackhawks repositioned over a snow bank close to us. Before long both Blackhawks were connected and the slack taken up, as they lifted in tandem and headed out to the artillery range with their cargo slung beneath and the gun crews retreated to the warmth and their next assignment.

A Flying Howitzer

And that was it, getting up before the sun rose, waiting in the cold for hours all for a few minutes of aircraft action… Was it worth it? Hell yes! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Yes, it sucked that I didn’t get what I had hoped for but this was a pretty awesome surprise that I wasn’t expecting. If it’s one thing I learned is the importance of doing your research, making connections with the right people, but making it a beneficial connection for both parties, and more importantly just don’t give up. We could have given up at the very start and come away with just a few distance shots of a Chinook, but we persevered.

So that was us, Chasing Hawgs and Catching Hawks instead in our pursuit.