McChord welcomes int‘l teams

Published July 13, 2007
By Tyler Hemstreet
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Monday morning a flood of international teams will arrive here for Air Mobility Command's Rodeo 2007, which begins July 21.

The teams will touch down starting at 10 a.m. and then every 20 minutes after until they have all landed, said Rodeo international teams director Aubrey Robertson, 62nd Airlift Wing.

"With all the flying and preparation it takes to get ready for Rodeo, crews might be a little tired [when they land]," he said. "But once they're finally here and that second wind kicks in, they'll start to get excited."
All of the international teams except Germany will be flying C-130 Hercules aircraft, he said.

After landing, each team will touch base with its sponsor squadron for Rodeo. Each sponsor squadron's job is to show its international team around the base and assist the team in any way it can, said Rodeo international teams representative Ladonna Couthran, 62nd AW.

Once all the teams get settled with their sponsors, they will get to fly around the area to get familiar with the lay of the land, practice airdrops and prepare their aircraft for competition, Mr. Robertson said.