Pope technical sergeant leads aerial port operations support in Kandahar

Published Oct. 29, 2010
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- In September, his unit of aerial porters processed more than 16,000 passengers and handled more than 26 million pounds of cargo for Operation Enduring Freedom at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

As a member of the 451st Aerial Port Flight, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, at Kandahar, Tech. Sgt. Edward Taylor also helped download about 100 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles and upload nearly 900 airdrop bundles for operations. However you look at it, Sergeant Taylor is doing exactly what's required of him as an air transportation craftsman, or aerial porter.

"We're working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so we're very busy out here," said Capt. Daniel Frost, 451st APF officer in charge, in a 451st AEW Public Affairs news report by Senior Airman Melissa White. "We're helping move anything from whole blood donations, to MRAPs, to airdrop bundles -- which is probably the most important part of our mission because we're resupplying the warfighters with food, water and fuel while they're in the field."

Sergeant Taylor is deployed from the 3rd Aerial Port Squadron, 43rd Airlift Wing, at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. The 43rd Airlift Wing was reactivated at Pope AFB, N.C., on April 1, 1997, and is part of the 18th Air Force and Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, according to the 43rd AW Air Force fact sheet. The wing is capable of deploying a "self-sustaining, warfighting package anywhere in the world at a moment's notice, to form our nation's premiere forced entry capability with the United States Army."

As an aerial porter, Sergeant Taylor is someone who can move cargo, passengers, or both on a moment's notice. Sergeant Taylor's deployed unit ensures the safe and efficient upload and download of cargo and personnel on all organic and contracted aircraft to the base. The 451st APF is primarily responsible for "processing U.S. military cargo and passengers on aircraft such as the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III or C-130 Hercules," the report said.

To do the heavy lifting, aerial porters like Sergeant Taylor 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.

Each air transportation Airman deployed to the 451st APF, including Sergeant Taylor, 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 Sergeant Swinson 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.

Sergeant Taylor 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. He 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.

Aerial porters like Sergeant Taylor can check in passengers and 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.

According to the 451st AEW Web site, the wing provides a "persistent and powerful airpower presence" in the Afghanistan area of operations. 451st AEW Airmen provide "world-class tactical airlift, close air support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, airborne datalink, combat search and rescue, casualty evacuation and aeromedical evacuation capabilities whenever and wherever needed."

(Senior Airman Melissa White, 451st AEW Public Affairs, contributed to this report.)