Keeping the airlift mission moving

Published Aug. 7, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Daniel Bowles
437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Mobility Air Force intra-theater airlifters have flown more than 74,000 sorties, delivering about 251,000 tons of cargo in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility in 2008 and 2009 so far.

With the statistics soaring, airlift is making a strong case as a primary source of warfighting and life-sustaining supplies for Coalition forces deployed to Southwest Asia.

Mobility units operating within the U.S. and Afghanistan are providing the materials needed to keep the tip of the spear sharp in Operation Enduring Freedom, speeding personnel and equipment to the fight.

Such achievements do not come without challenges, when accomplished in an aircraft with an average age of 30.5 years. Such was the case July 31 for a C-5 Galaxy aircrew from the 337th Airlift Squadron based out of Westover, Mass.

The crew was scheduled to move two Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, which are next-generation armored trucks, to a deployed location in Southwest Asia.

The inter-theater mission originated out of Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., where the MRAPs were located.

In addition to the two MRAPS, passengers were scheduled to be flown to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, illustrating the unique depth of Air Force mobility operations.

In a single mission, Air Mobility Command is able to fuel the war effort with supplies, and at the same time, provide transportation benefits to servicemembers and their families, seamlessly integrating the Air Force's mission and people priorities.

Before the passengers could board, maintenance crews worked to correct a weight balance issue with the aircraft to accommodate the weight of the MRAPs. Then, Tech. Sgt. Andrew Cavanaugh, a loadmaster with the 337th AS, precisely positioned the two MRAPs to carefully balance the C-5's center of gravity, making adjustments in the position of vehicles by as little as inches.

Just as their work was nearly finished, the aircrew encountered a snag - a fire suppression warning indicator was giving a false indication.

Parked and crippled on the Charleston flightline, the aircrew immediately requested assistance from the Tanker Airlift Control Center, located at Scott AFB, Ohio. The flight scheduled to deliver valuable mission assets into Southwest Asia was going nowhere fast without help soon.

Fortunately, another C-5 parked on the Charleston ramp had Staff Sgt. Benjamin Drage, a crew chief on board to help.

Within minutes of arriving on the scene, Sergeant Drage had the problem solved - pinpointing an issue with an electrical connector on a component of the aircraft. After reseating the connector, the anomalous indication disappeared.

"If he didn't come and help us with that, we would've needed a mission recovery team to find the problem," said Maj. Jay Koelb, a pilot with the 337th AS. "We would have been delayed for days."

Instead, the aircraft was able to deliver the MRAPs onboard to Coalition fighting in support of the global war on terror and to transport the passengers safely to their destination.

The airlift mission is a two-sided coin that can be flipped in either direction at any time. Typically, an aircrew may fly supplies into Afghanistan, and a few hours after arriving, depart with a redeploying Army unit headed back to the U.S. or perform an aeromedical evacuation getting wounded Coalition forces to a medical facility.

The actions of Staff Sgt. Benjamin Drage proved that despite the size of the aircraft, its age or the odds, the success of a mission can unexpectedly hinge on the motivation and proficiency of a single Airman working to "keep the mission moving."