Mobility Airman profile: Joint Base Andrews senior airman supports aerial port ops at Southwest Asia base

Published April 5, 2011
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- At a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia, Senior Airman Adrian Gonzales has his skills as an air transportation journeyman tested every day. It might mean moving cargo, or people, to support a deployed objective -- anytime, anywhere.

Deployed to the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Air Terminal Operations Center, Airman Gonzales supports aerial port operations for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing which in turn supports operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

Airman Gonzales, who is deployed from the 89th Aerial Port Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Md., is someone who can move cargo, passengers, or both on a moment's notice as an aerial porter. Each air transportation Airman deployed to the ATOC, including Airman Gonzales, has to maintain a myriad of skills and job knowledge.

According to the official Air Force job description for the 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 like Airman Gonzales supplement policies and direct supervisory personnel to provide cargo and passenger loading and unloading services. He is 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.

Aerial porters like Airman Gonzales can also check in passengers as well as process, schedule, transport and escort passengers to and from aircraft. They determine quantity and type of cargo to be loaded according to allowable aircraft cabin load and they check cargo against manifests, and annotate overage, shortage or damage.

Airman Gonzales is also trained to verify eligibility of cargo and mail offered for airlift and to review passenger travel authorizations for validity and accuracy. He also ensures all cargo documentation, packaging, labeling and marking requirements, and all border clearance requirements have been met. She provides 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.

Airman Gonzales'deployed unit ensures the safe and efficient upload and download of cargo and personnel on all organic and contracted aircraft to the base. To do the heavy lifting, they use specific material handling equipment such as forklifts capable of lifting upwards of 10,000 pounds of cargo and aircraft cargo loaders which are capable of holding pallets and cargo weighing up to 25,000 and 60,000 pounds. The loaders, when filled with cargo, are driven out to the aircraft, the deck is raised hydraulically, and powered rollers on the loader push the cargo on board the plane.

The 380th AEW is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, air battle management, surveillance, and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia.

At his home station of Joint Base Andrews, the 89th APS is part of Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing. According to the 89th AW fact sheet, the wing "provides global Special Air Mission airlift, logistics, aerial port and communications for the president, vice president, cabinet members, combatant commanders and other senior military and elected leaders as tasked by the White House, Air Force chief of staff and Air Mobility Command."