| The 2-17th Cavalry Regiment, an aerial reconnaissance asset of the 101st Aviation Regiment and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), is now at Camp Doha, Kuwait, preparing for redeployment. The unit has been in theater since February 2003. Fifteen of the 2-17th Cavalryâs 24 Kiowa helicopters were carried into theater for the deployment. They have flown more than 12,000 flight hours during Operation Iraqi Freedom, an average of more than 800 flight hours per aircraft just this past year. The marathon for the 2-17th Cavalryâs pilots and crews is nearly finished, but first the aircraft need to be washed to pass U.S. Customs inspections. âFor the most part for these aircraft, this is the first time theyâve seen water,â said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Scott A. Moyers of Northfield, N.H. âTheyâre still going to need washing when we get back. You could never get all the desert out of these aircraft.â Sand, dirt and grease have accumulated in nearly all of the unitâs aircraft, especially in the hard to reach places. Wednesday, the pilots and crew took about five hours to wash the aircraft piece-by-piece before a 3 p.m. inspection. The unit is scheduled to fly back to Fort Campbell early next month. |