When the phone rang at 5:30 AM on April 29, 2010 I had no idea what was ahead of me. I was invited to join the BP Spill response team in Houma LA as the aerial dispersants aviation consultant. What did that mean? All I was told was to bring enough cloths for thirty days.
Thirty days, then sixty days and finally ninety days went by before I was released and these were long days that started a 5:30 every morning and extended into the night, usually around 7:30 PM or later, seven days a week.
Aerial dispersants had (4) C-130 aircraft, (8) sprayer / spotter King Air’s, (3) DC-3’s, (3) AT802 [ag planes] and two more spotters. This small fleet (20)of aircraft was located at Stennis Field MS and Houma LA.
We were part of a three prong attack on the oil. Skimmers, and burners attacked the oil near the spill source and the aerial dispersant group was responsible for the large expanse of oil that spread for mile across the Gulf.
At first light the spotters were out looking for appropriate targets .Once found they would lead the larger spray aircraft onto the oil and guide them through the dispersant phase. Trip after trip, day after day, week after week they battled the spill.
After two storms, and the well capped we began to see the “dispersible” oil disappear. Our flying dropped off to nearly nothing and finally we were demobilized (all but a token force) and I went home.
I am still digesting the experience, some of it was good and some bad...but that’s life. Sadly there was much misinformation, agendas and egos that slowly worked their way into and clouding the mission...keep the oil off the beaches!
Thirty days, then sixty days and finally ninety days went by before I was released and these were long days that started a 5:30 every morning and extended into the night, usually around 7:30 PM or later, seven days a week.
Aerial dispersants had (4) C-130 aircraft, (8) sprayer / spotter King Air’s, (3) DC-3’s, (3) AT802 [ag planes] and two more spotters. This small fleet (20)of aircraft was located at Stennis Field MS and Houma LA.
We were part of a three prong attack on the oil. Skimmers, and burners attacked the oil near the spill source and the aerial dispersant group was responsible for the large expanse of oil that spread for mile across the Gulf.
At first light the spotters were out looking for appropriate targets .Once found they would lead the larger spray aircraft onto the oil and guide them through the dispersant phase. Trip after trip, day after day, week after week they battled the spill.
After two storms, and the well capped we began to see the “dispersible” oil disappear. Our flying dropped off to nearly nothing and finally we were demobilized (all but a token force) and I went home.
I am still digesting the experience, some of it was good and some bad...but that’s life. Sadly there was much misinformation, agendas and egos that slowly worked their way into and clouding the mission...keep the oil off the beaches!
