The Air Force and other services still are helping support Hurricane Felix relief efforts in Nicaragua. Army and Navy helicopters attached to Joint Task Force-Bravo flew dozens of sorties during the weekend, conducting search and rescue missions and transporting essential aid. An Air Force C-130 transported some 25,000 pounds of USAID from Homestead ARB, Fla., to a Puerto Cabezas airfield last weekend.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
