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Andrews Airman powers deployed aerial port efforts

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
In Southeast Wisconsin in Senior Airman Nicholas Santandrea's hometown of Wauwatosa, more than 45,000 people populate a city that serves as an "edge city" to Milwaukee. Since the first family who settled there in 1835 when Charles Hart built a mill, people of the city have been working hard and Sergeant Santandrea is no different.

Airman Santandrea is an air transportation journeyman, or aerial porter, with the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's Air Terminal Operations Center at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. He is deployed from the 89th Aerial Port Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Md. As an aerial porter, Sergeant Santandrea is someone who can move cargo, passengers, or both on a moment's notice.

Airman Santandrea 's 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.

Each air transportation Airman deployed to the ATOC, including Airman Santandrea, 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 Santandrea 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.

Airman Santandrea 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 Airman Santandrea 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.

After joining the Air Force three years ago, Airman Santandrea said he decided to go into the military for many reasons and is glad he made the choice to serve.

"I have the opportunity to serve my country and at the same time I get the chance to travel the world while I am at it," Airman Santandrea said.

The 380th ELRS is a sub-unit of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The wing is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragonlady E-3 Sentry and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The wing is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, air battle management, surveillance, and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The 380th AEW supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.