TOP STORY >> Mobility Airman Profile

By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – In the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, they maintain a high pace of deployed operations for Operation Enduring Freedom to include flying a record 51 airdrop missions in January 2011. Among those Airmen supporting that record effort is Tech. Sgt. Josh Romero -- a C-130 Hercules loadmaster.

Sergeant Romero, deployed from Air Mobility Command’s 41st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., is part of one of the busiest airlift units in Afghanistan, according to a recent news report.
In a news article by 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs on Feb. 3, it states the 772nd EAS “had a previous record of 40 airdrop missions in a one-month period that the squadron soared past in January by completing 51 airdrop missions.”

That article also said that in addition to successfully completing 51 airdrops “weighing more than 1.1 million pounds, the 772nd EAS also moved close to 4,000 passengers and flew more than 420 sorties with approximately 400 flight hours during the month of January.”

According to his official Air Force job description for the 1A2X1 career field, loadmasters like Sergeant Romero accomplish loading and off-loading aircraft functions and perform pre-flight and post-flight of aircraft and aircraft systems. They also perform loadmaster aircrew functions, compute weight and balance and other mission specific qualification duties, and provide for safety and comfort of passengers and troops, and security of cargo, mail and baggage during flight.

Loadmasters like Sergeant Romero are skilled in a variety of abilities, the job description states. For example, in determining quantity of cargo and passengers or troops to be loaded and proper placement in aircraft, loadmasters compute load and cargo distribution. They also compute weight and balance, and determines the amount of weight to be placed in each compartment or at each station. To do this they consider factors such as fuel load, aircraft structural limits and emergency equipment required.
C-130 loadmasters also accomplish the initial pre-flight of aircraft according to flight manuals. They pre-flight specific aircraft systems such as restraint rail and airdrop equipment. They also pre-flight aerospace ground equipment and apply external power to the aircraft. Additionally, they perform in-flight and special mission specific duties as required.

When supervising aircraft loading and off-loading, loadmasters like Sergeant Romero ensure cargo and passengers are loaded according to load distribution plan. They direct application of restraint devices such as restraint rails, straps, chains and nets to prevent shifting during flight. They also check cargo, passengers and troops against manifests, ensure availability of fleet service equipment and brief passengers and troops on use of seat belts, facilities and border clearance requirements.

In the deployed environment, loadmasters like Sergeant Romero are trained to conduct cargo and personnel airdrops according to directives. They are trained to attach extraction parachutes to cargo and platforms and inspect cargo and platforms, extraction systems and connects static lines. They also check tie-downs, parachutes, containers, suspension systems and extraction systems to ensure proper cargo extraction or release.

To do their job while deployed or at home station, loadmasters have to maintain a wide array of mandatory job knowledge, the job description states. They must know the types, capacities and configuration of transport aircraft, emergency equipment and in-flight emergency procedures, personal equipment and oxygen use, communications, current flying directives, interpreting diagrams, loading charts and technical publications, border agency clearance dispensing and preserving food aboard aircraft, and cargo restraint techniques.

Lt. Col. Craig Williams, 772nd EAS commander, said in the news report that all the Airmen in the squadron -- to include Sergeant Romero -- work together for success.

“Everyone is the same and we all come together in a seamless operation to keep the guys outside the wire safer,” Colonel Williams said. “Where we can fly to in one hour could be a three-day trip through the mountains that subjects those drivers to indirect fire, improvised explosive devices and other hazards ... we’re literally saving lives every day.”

At his home station with the 41st AS, which is part of the 19th Airlift Wing, Sergeant Romero supports a mission that is to “employ the world’s best C-130 combat airlifters.” The 19th AW, according to its fact sheet, “is part of Air Mobility Command and provides the Department of Defense the largest C-130 fleet in the world. As part of Air Mobility Command’s ‘global reach’ capability, the wing’s tasking requirements range from supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters, to airdropping supplies and troops into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas.”

(Senior Airman Melissa B. White, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs, contributed to this story.)