Photo By Sgt. Cody Thompson | Air Force Senior Airman Jack Blackwell, 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron,...... read more read more
Subscribe
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Using a fleet of specialized aircraft, members of the 53rd Movement Control Battalion ensure that mail, equipment, passengers and supplies make it to their destinations across Afghanistan.
The 53rd MCB specializes in scheduling, coordinating and executing flights and can move their numerous airplanes on short notice to most forward and contingency operating bases within the borders of Afghanistan.
The battalion is comprised of active duty and reserve Airmen from Little Rock AFB, Ark., McGuire AFB, N.J., and Dover AFB, Del. The pilots who fly the airplanes for the 53rd MCB are all contractors with prior military experience.
"Our number-one mission is delivering mail to forward operating bases in Afghanistan," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Corydon L. Thomas, a flight operations specialist with the 53rd MCB, deployed from Dover.
Every piece of mail is flown and delivered by the battalion short take off and landing airplanes. STOL airplanes have short runway take off requirements and are easier to land in smaller spaces than most aircraft. Equipment transported consists of ammunition, medical supplies, passengers, food, water and parts for disabled aircraft.
The 53rd MCB has the ability to reach more locations quicker than the passenger terminal's aircraft. The MCB can land on anything from a large runway to a small dirt strip, thus increasing its travel and transportation effectiveness.
This helps them fly passengers abroad by creating flights from scratch.
"We're a logistics enabler that creates flights and moves equipment, but 90 percent of our air drops are water," said Thomas.
The battalion operates three types of aircraft ranging from the small Casa 212, the medium Metro C-26, and the large Casa 235. The Casa 212 can carry approximately eight passengers and is primarily used for supply drops.
The Metro C-26 is primarily used as a high flying passenger plane. The Casa 235 can carry entire pallets, as well as seating for up to 17 passengers. It can also carry twice as much weight as the Casa 212, and has a crew of three. Within 30 minutes an entire fleet of the battalion's aircraft can be unloaded, fueled, loaded and sent to their destination.
The process begins with an e-mail from various organizations and groups all over Afghanistan. If someone calls from a different forward operating base or flight line, the 53rd MCB immediately starts checking their inventories and the availability of others, trying to find the piece of equipment needed.
Once the equipment is located, the MCB receives an e-mail stating the part needs to be flown to the designated location. After they read the e-mail they immediately start trying to schedule the supplies on the first available flight.
"We're precise down to the smallest detail," said Thomas.
During supply drops the aircraft flies low enough to drop multiple pallets to the service members or coalition forces waiting to secure them below. From start to finish, the battalion is able to locate, load, take off and deliver equipment between three to 24 hours after the initial e-mail is sent.
"Nine times out of 10 we find a way to move it," said Thomas. "If for some odd reason the planes are already departed or our mission is full, we have other means of getting parts out."
"Usually we look at other airframes, such as the C-130," said Air Force Maj. Reynaldo Gonzalez, 53rd MCB commander. "We manage the Baltimore Channel at our office and other options available to us are other aircraft that originate in Bagram or are coming to Bagram."
The Baltimore Channel is set up to fly cargo between Bagram Air Field, Sharana, Salerno and Jalalabad.
"We manage it out of this office and it's used to move cargo specifically to those three locations," said Gonzalez.
If a flight is deemed more important by the MCB they will utilize the Baltimore Channel to reroute a C-130 to the location of priority.
Across Afghanistan the 53rd MCB supplies troops with essential aircraft parts, life sustaining material, and ammunition.
"What we do here is important because we save lives," said Thomas.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2009 08:14 |
| Story ID: | 32888 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 605 |
| Downloads: | 422 |
This work, 53rd Movement Control Battalion delivers mail, supplies across Afghanistan, by SGT Cody Thompson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT