144 Crew wins Moose Shoot competition

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Theulen
  • 176 Wing Public Affairs
A C-130 aircrew from the Alaska Air National Guard's 144 Airlift Squadron won the more-or-less-annual "Moose Shoot" airlift competition at the Malamute Drop Zone here Aug. 11, 2012. The winning aircrew consisted of aircraft commander Lt. Col. Rich Adams, co-pilot Maj. Patrick McBride, navigator Lt. Col. Josh Armstrong, flight engineer Tech. Sgt. James Castagna, and loadmasters Senior Airman Levi Oyster and Senior Airman Connor Murray.

The Moose Shoot is a friendly airdrop and landing competition. C-130 crews from the 144 and the 537 airlift squadrons took part, as did C-17 crews from the 249 and 517 airlift squadrons.

Ten crews participated in the event, which include simulated assault landings, airdrop, and timed take-offs. The Moose Shoot provides competitors with the opportunity to sharpen their wartime skills in a manner that allows for esprit de corps and an element of fun.

Captain Allison Snow, a C-17 pilot with the 249, said this is the first year they've included the C-17s, and brought in active-duty crews as a way to bring the components together in a total force enterprise. Adding the active duty components to the competition allows crews to work together as one force sharing a common goal and mission, she said.

"This victory was a total team effort. The Moose Shoot wouldn't be successful without the efforts of the entire wing." said Lt. Col. Richard Adams. "I'd also like to applaud the Moose Shoot's mission commander, Maj. Kirby Chacon. He did a great job putting all of this together."


*Corrections made on Caption Snow's job title and unit. The article originally said the Snow was a C-130 pilot with the 144. She is a C-17 pilot with the 249.