Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Jarad Denton | Senior Airman Tara Hall, 633rd Logistics Readiness Squadron joint inspection team air...... read more read more
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LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — A few inches could mean the difference between a C-17 Globemaster III successfully delivering supplies to a deployed environment, or dropping out of the sky like a stone.
Those inches come from the arrangement and weight of cargo loaded by airmen from the 633rd Logistic Readiness Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., May 17.
"We have to get the plane to balance within about 40 inches," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Boudreau, 633rd LRS joint inspection air terminal NCO in-charge. "If you mess this up, you are crashing planes."
Boudreau points to a computer, which is running the Integrated Computerized Deployment System. ICODES is a joint-service program, which allows LRS airmen to digitally manage and map the loading process, right down to the people travelling on the aircraft.
"Everything depends on the configuration and weight of the load," Boudreau said, suddenly smiling. "So, when you are processing through the air terminal, don't lie about your weight."
Although, Boudreau jokes about accurately weighing passengers, he and the other LRS airmen understand the seriousness and precision required to successfully plan and implement a cargo load. Staff Sgt. Tavis Riley, 633rd LRS load planner, said the most important factor is recording an accurate weight.
"There's a lot of math behind it," Riley said. "The weights, the fuel and the dimensions all factor into the load."
While ICODES has made the process substantially easier for Riley, he still advocates the importance of knowing how to manually configure a load.
"If the system goes down, you have to know the aircraft and how to configure it manually," Riley said. "You need to know the layout, the rails and where things need to be positioned."
As Riley monitored the load, pallets of cargo were processed through a weigh station and inspection area. The cargo could have any variety of materials or equipment needed to support the missions downrange.
"We touch just about everything on base," said 2nd Lt. Sarah Smith, 633rd LRS officer in charge of small air terminal and passenger travel. "We get the maintainers their parts, the jets their fuel. Everything that goes out the door, we have a hand in. We're like the UPS of the Air Force."
Just like UPS, LRS airmen have to be ready at a moment's notice to satisfy mission requirements. Since Langley does not have a port, it uses a small air terminal to process loading missions. When the job requires more able bodies than the terminal has, airmen from various LRS career fields are utilized.
"Right now, roughly 90 percent of the people helping us today are LRS augmentees," said Capt. Jose Crespo, 633rd LRS deployment and distribution flight commander. "We rely on these airmen to step up and learn new roles very quickly, in order to complete the mission."
As the pallet organization began to take shape on the flightline, matching the diagram on Riley's computer. airmen from various organizations within LRS come together with a singular goal and a combined determination to achieve excellence.
And with a 40-inch margin for error - excellence is their only option.
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2012 10:05 |
| Story ID: | 88775 |
| Location: | LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Balancing Act: 633rd LRS supplies downrange warfighters, by SMSgt Jarad Denton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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