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Aerial porters continue to support worldwide air mobility operations

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Throughout the air mobility world, air transportation Airmen, or aerial porters, continue to play a vital role in operations. 

Aerial port Airmen work at bases in the United States, Europe, the Pacific, throughout the deployed areas in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, and throughout the world.

Master Sgt. Robert Weatherly, the superintendent of the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's Air Terminal Operations Center at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia, said air transportation Airmen are vital to operations everywhere.

"It's well-documented that one of the great strengths of our Air Force is its ability to project forces globally in minimal time," Sergeant Weatherly said. "Aerial porters play an important role in that force projection. We are responsible for expediting the movement of critical assets that keeps our tankers flying which refuel our fighters and transports that, in turn, either brings in reinforcements and supplies or provide vital air cover for our ground forces."

Aerial porters receive a host of training to be able to accomplish their mission.  According to the official Air Force job description for the 2T2X1 air transportation career field, they must maintain mandatory job knowledge in passenger and cargo movement functions to include transport aircraft types, capabilities, and configuration. They must also know weight and balance factors, airlift transportation directives and documentation, cargo securing techniques, border clearance requirements, operation of materials handling and other types of loading equipment or devices, fleet service functions.

In directing air transportation activities, aerial porters supplement policies and direct supervisory personnel to provide cargo and passenger loading and unloading services. They are trained to establish procedures for passenger and aircraft clearance through international border clearance agencies and to inspect airlift activities for compliance with directives, the job description states. 

Air transportation Airmen are also trained to verify eligibility of cargo and mail offered for airlift and to review passenger travel authorizations for validity and accuracy. They ensure all cargo documentation, packaging, labeling and marking requirements, and all border clearance requirements have been met. They provide information on schedules, routes, air movement requirements, baggage limitations and local facilities for passengers and requisitions, stores and issues expendable and nonexpendable items for use on aircraft.

"If we are lax in our approach to our mission, the quality of support we provide to the warfighter is degraded and that can have life or death consequences," Sergeant Weatherly said. "It's in that critical logistical piece that we provide top notch support and ensure mission success."

(Sergeant Weatherly is deployed to Southwest Asia from Air Mobility Command's 89th Aerial Port Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Md.)