Air National Guard pilot Keri Villemarette, a Big Flats native, sits at the controls of a Boeing C-17 military transport jet, parked Thursday at the Elmira Corning Regional Airport.
JEFF MURRAY
Big Flats -- Keri Villemarette was interested in flying from an early age.
That's the influence of her father, Dave Manchester of Big Flats, a pilot with Corning Inc.
These days, Manchester notes that Villemarette's plane is bigger than his -- a lot bigger.
That's because she flies a massive Boeing C-17 military transport jet for the Air National Guard and has spent most of the last seven years flying in and out of combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Villemarette, who is based in Jackson, Miss., got a chance to visit her family this week when a mission brought her close to the area, and she parked her supersized jet at the Elmira Corning Regional Airport.
"My dad started flying coincidental with me being born," said Villemarette, 40, a 1989 graduate of Horseheads High School.
"It's been in my family my whole life. I was fascinated by it. I decided that's what I wanted to do."
Villemarette, a standout athlete in high school, attended Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., on a softball scholarship and majored in aviation.
She wanted to become a commercial pilot, but some friends got her excited about opportunities with the Air National Guard, and she joined in 1995.
Villemarette has been on full-time active status for several years, and she pilots a plane big enough to fit two tractor-trailers and then some.
Her missions involve flying cargo into war zones and airlifting wounded military personnel out.
It's a demanding -- and sometimes scary -- but exciting job, she said.
"The theater is quite active, but I've never had any injuries or damage. We are trained for this," Villemarette said.
"You have a job to do, and you focus on doing that job. You don't forget about the threat, but you pay attention to the job.
"What lingers is the personal stories of carrying groups back to their families," she said.
"That's what I think about, getting them back home as quickly as possible and getting them care. I think about reuniting them with their families."
In four more years, Villemarette will have 20 years of service with the Air National Guard and can think about retiring.
In the meantime, she's already planning on transitioning into a new career with a cargo shipping company.
At some point, she might even have time to spend with her husband Roger, who is a commercial pilot. The two are often flying in opposite directions.
And what does her dad think of his daughter's choice of careers?
"It's a good career, but what she does makes us very proud, with her contributions," said Manchester, a former Big Flats Town Board member.
"We're just very proud of her, that's all."
Big Flats, N.Y. — While some people show off their shiny new SUV when they return home to visit family, Big Flats native Keri Villemarette has an even roomier ride.
That massive C-17 military cargo plane that’s been parked on the runway at the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport the past few days? That’s hers. It cost about $200 million.
Well, actually, it belongs to the Air National Guard, but she’s the pilot. A mission brought her back to her hometown this week.
Some may remember her as Keri Manchester, a standout softball and soccer player who graduated from Horseheads High School in 1989.
After attending aviation school at Delta State University, she became a pilot with the Mississippi Air National Guard’s 172nd Airlift Wing, based in Jackson, Miss.
Villemarette, 40, has spent the past seven years on active duty with the Air National Guard, and her primary role has been to ferry injured troops from the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, an American military hospital in Germany.
From there, she also flies troops back to military hospitals in the U.S., such as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
“Somebody will be injured on a battlefield, and then treated at a local hospital,” Villemarette said. “They have wonderful surgeons from all over the world that are in the theater that stabilize the guys enough to get them on the airplane, and when they’re stable enough to fly, we take them to the bigger hospitals outside of the conflict area.”
The C-17’s cargo bay transforms into a flying hospital that can carry up to 36 injured troops and a staff of nurses and medical technicians. Beds, oxygen masks and other equipment fold down from the interior walls.
It usually flies with a crew of 3 pilots and 2 loadmasters.
Despite its hulking size – it’s 174 feet long, has a 169-foot wingspan and a maximum gross weight of nearly 300 tons – the C-17 is capable of landings and takeoffs from unpaved airfields in hostile territory, day or night.
“The fields that we go into are typically the most targeted airfields in the region, so you’re always on your toes,” Villemarette said.
But it’s also a job that can be very rewarding, she said.
“I enjoy the opportunity to do such a noble mission, which is getting these guys back to their families as soon as possible,” she says.
The C-17, manufactured by Boeing and also known as the Globemaster III, is an impressive aircraft – not just for its sheer size, but also for its versatility.
Aside from its medical evacuation capabilities, it can also be used to carry 102 troops and their gear. It can also haul tanks, helicopters or trucks; and it has skids for holding pallets stocked with food and supplies.
The tanks hold 245,000 gallons of fuel, good for about 2,500 miles, and can be re-fueled in midair.
Along with military uses, C-17s are often used for humanitarian missions, such as bringing rescuers and supplies to Japan in the wake of this year’s earthquake and tsunami.
Aside from being a pilot, Villemarette is also a C-17 instructor pilot for the Air National Guard.
“My role as an instructor takes place as we’re doing missions, but we also have local training flights (at the base in Mississippi), where we practice things ranging from air refueling, when we need a tanker in the sky; to assault landings, which is landing on a short field using night vision goggles; and low-level operations, when we fly close to the ground at high speeds,” she explained.
After seven years, Villemarette ended her active duty status in October. She’ll now be a traditional reservist, flying part-time for missions involving natural disasters and transporting Guardsmen.
Her next endeavor?
In December, she’ll start a two-month training program, and she’ll soon be flying 747s for Atlas Air Cargo, a Miami-based freight hauler.
But as long as flying is involved, she’ll be happy.
“What I enjoy about flying is ... my goodness, how do I put it in words? It could be a completely overcast day, and I can see the sun shining, because I’m on top of the clouds. It’s wonderful,” she says, with a hint of a Southern accent gained since she left Big Flats.
Villemarette’s first flights were in gliders above Harris Hill in Big Flats, and with her dad, Dave Manchester, who’s a corporate jet pilot for Corning Inc. She’s wanted to follow in her dad’s footsteps “since about fifth grade.”
And now, she’s showing him up with her C-17, he jokes.
“It’s funny, because I’m a pilot, and my brother is also a corporate pilot, and Keri’s husband (Roger) is a commercial pilot,” Manchester said. “So the three of us guys will be sitting around talking about flying, and Keri will be like, ‘When you guys want to talk about a really big plane with four engines, let me know.’”
http://www.stargazette.com
That massive C-17 military cargo plane that’s been parked on the runway at the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport the past few days? That’s hers. It cost about $200 million.
Well, actually, it belongs to the Air National Guard, but she’s the pilot. A mission brought her back to her hometown this week.
Some may remember her as Keri Manchester, a standout softball and soccer player who graduated from Horseheads High School in 1989.
After attending aviation school at Delta State University, she became a pilot with the Mississippi Air National Guard’s 172nd Airlift Wing, based in Jackson, Miss.
Villemarette, 40, has spent the past seven years on active duty with the Air National Guard, and her primary role has been to ferry injured troops from the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, an American military hospital in Germany.
From there, she also flies troops back to military hospitals in the U.S., such as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
“Somebody will be injured on a battlefield, and then treated at a local hospital,” Villemarette said. “They have wonderful surgeons from all over the world that are in the theater that stabilize the guys enough to get them on the airplane, and when they’re stable enough to fly, we take them to the bigger hospitals outside of the conflict area.”
The C-17’s cargo bay transforms into a flying hospital that can carry up to 36 injured troops and a staff of nurses and medical technicians. Beds, oxygen masks and other equipment fold down from the interior walls.
It usually flies with a crew of 3 pilots and 2 loadmasters.
Despite its hulking size – it’s 174 feet long, has a 169-foot wingspan and a maximum gross weight of nearly 300 tons – the C-17 is capable of landings and takeoffs from unpaved airfields in hostile territory, day or night.
“The fields that we go into are typically the most targeted airfields in the region, so you’re always on your toes,” Villemarette said.
But it’s also a job that can be very rewarding, she said.
“I enjoy the opportunity to do such a noble mission, which is getting these guys back to their families as soon as possible,” she says.
The C-17, manufactured by Boeing and also known as the Globemaster III, is an impressive aircraft – not just for its sheer size, but also for its versatility.
Aside from its medical evacuation capabilities, it can also be used to carry 102 troops and their gear. It can also haul tanks, helicopters or trucks; and it has skids for holding pallets stocked with food and supplies.
The tanks hold 245,000 gallons of fuel, good for about 2,500 miles, and can be re-fueled in midair.
Along with military uses, C-17s are often used for humanitarian missions, such as bringing rescuers and supplies to Japan in the wake of this year’s earthquake and tsunami.
Aside from being a pilot, Villemarette is also a C-17 instructor pilot for the Air National Guard.
“My role as an instructor takes place as we’re doing missions, but we also have local training flights (at the base in Mississippi), where we practice things ranging from air refueling, when we need a tanker in the sky; to assault landings, which is landing on a short field using night vision goggles; and low-level operations, when we fly close to the ground at high speeds,” she explained.
After seven years, Villemarette ended her active duty status in October. She’ll now be a traditional reservist, flying part-time for missions involving natural disasters and transporting Guardsmen.
Her next endeavor?
In December, she’ll start a two-month training program, and she’ll soon be flying 747s for Atlas Air Cargo, a Miami-based freight hauler.
But as long as flying is involved, she’ll be happy.
“What I enjoy about flying is ... my goodness, how do I put it in words? It could be a completely overcast day, and I can see the sun shining, because I’m on top of the clouds. It’s wonderful,” she says, with a hint of a Southern accent gained since she left Big Flats.
Villemarette’s first flights were in gliders above Harris Hill in Big Flats, and with her dad, Dave Manchester, who’s a corporate jet pilot for Corning Inc. She’s wanted to follow in her dad’s footsteps “since about fifth grade.”
And now, she’s showing him up with her C-17, he jokes.
“It’s funny, because I’m a pilot, and my brother is also a corporate pilot, and Keri’s husband (Roger) is a commercial pilot,” Manchester said. “So the three of us guys will be sitting around talking about flying, and Keri will be like, ‘When you guys want to talk about a really big plane with four engines, let me know.’”
http://www.stargazette.com
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