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Pilots Deal with Extended Air War Campaign

Aired March 31, 2003 - 14:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to one of our embedded correspondents, Gary Tuchman. He's in an air base not far from the Iraqi border, himself, an air base that's been extraordinarily busy over the past 11 days -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there are some people at this air base who thought the air war would only last a few days. They were wrong. It's now night No. 13, 11 nights of intense bombing. There are 8,000 servicemen and women at this base that come from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, also from the Army, Navy, Marines, but particularly the Air Force.

It's the pilots who get the most attention, the pilots who have been told for the time being, that they can expect to keep their busy flight schedules. We've had an opportunity to interview pilots on camera just after they get off the planes from Iraq. We talked with a pilot a short time ago who has flown in five missions in the last 48 hours alone and asked him how he felt as he was crossing the border into Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. "WARDO", A-10 PILOT: You get a little apprehensive because you want to accomplish the mission without getting the wrong people hurt. You want to make sure that you stay safe. There are a lot of airplanes up there flying around so there's a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you have to go through. A lot of radio calls, but all of the guys here are completely focused on the mission, and to get it done just as quickly and painlessly as possible. And Everybody's just working 24/7 to get that done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: Frankly, there's been some tension at this base over the last week for three basic reasons. One, this is a military target. Number two at least one Iraqi missile has landed close to here. And number three, there have been at least 15 different sirens indicating a missile alert. But some of that tension has been relieved over the last 48 hours, because it's been two days since the last siren. That's the longest time without a siren since the war began.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: You know, Gary, the minute you say that, you're almost tempting those out there to go ahead and try something, reluctant to say too much about that, since we know sirens go off where you are, they almost always go off where I am, as well.

What's the latest as far as the mood of those pilots you're talking to on a day by day basis, Gary?

TUCHMAN: As we're talking to you, Wolf we can show you one plane is taking off over here, right down the run way. We can tell you the pilots are business-like, very professional -- actually this plane just landed. You'll have to excuse me. It's going that slow, I can be sure it's not taking off. But the pilots are very business-like, professional, patriotic and they say they'll fly as long as they have to, as much as they have to.

Back to you.

BLITZER: Gary Tuchman, he is at a base not far from the Iraqi border.

Gary, thanks once again for that report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired March 31, 2003 - 14:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to one of our embedded correspondents, Gary Tuchman. He's in an air base not far from the Iraqi border, himself, an air base that's been extraordinarily busy over the past 11 days -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there are some people at this air base who thought the air war would only last a few days. They were wrong. It's now night No. 13, 11 nights of intense bombing. There are 8,000 servicemen and women at this base that come from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, also from the Army, Navy, Marines, but particularly the Air Force.

It's the pilots who get the most attention, the pilots who have been told for the time being, that they can expect to keep their busy flight schedules. We've had an opportunity to interview pilots on camera just after they get off the planes from Iraq. We talked with a pilot a short time ago who has flown in five missions in the last 48 hours alone and asked him how he felt as he was crossing the border into Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. "WARDO", A-10 PILOT: You get a little apprehensive because you want to accomplish the mission without getting the wrong people hurt. You want to make sure that you stay safe. There are a lot of airplanes up there flying around so there's a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you have to go through. A lot of radio calls, but all of the guys here are completely focused on the mission, and to get it done just as quickly and painlessly as possible. And Everybody's just working 24/7 to get that done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: Frankly, there's been some tension at this base over the last week for three basic reasons. One, this is a military target. Number two at least one Iraqi missile has landed close to here. And number three, there have been at least 15 different sirens indicating a missile alert. But some of that tension has been relieved over the last 48 hours, because it's been two days since the last siren. That's the longest time without a siren since the war began.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: You know, Gary, the minute you say that, you're almost tempting those out there to go ahead and try something, reluctant to say too much about that, since we know sirens go off where you are, they almost always go off where I am, as well.

What's the latest as far as the mood of those pilots you're talking to on a day by day basis, Gary?

TUCHMAN: As we're talking to you, Wolf we can show you one plane is taking off over here, right down the run way. We can tell you the pilots are business-like, very professional -- actually this plane just landed. You'll have to excuse me. It's going that slow, I can be sure it's not taking off. But the pilots are very business-like, professional, patriotic and they say they'll fly as long as they have to, as much as they have to.

Back to you.

BLITZER: Gary Tuchman, he is at a base not far from the Iraqi border.

Gary, thanks once again for that report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com