Historic MacDill squadron reflects as final mission departs

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES

07.12.2019

Story by Senior Airman Rito Smith 

6th Air Refueling Wing

As Lt. Col. Michael Charles, the 310th Airlift Squadron director of operations signed his name on the orders for the final C-37A flight out of MacDill Air Force Base, a historic squadron reflects on their legacy of teamwork.
Lt. Col. Dan Lindley, 310th AS commander, spoke to his squadron, “you all have gone above and beyond and because of the team dynamic we were successful. It takes a whole team to accomplish what we have in the last 18 years and for all of your hard work, thank you.”
After serving for decades across different roles in support of nearly every major conflict, from being a troop carrier squadron in WWII, to providing aerial detection and monitoring over the Panama Canal Zone, the 310th Airlift Squadron was moved to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where it provided executive airlift for combatant commanders beginning in 2001.
“The most memorable day was on September 11, 2001.” recalled retired U.S. Air Force Major Sidney Eskridge, who was one of the first pilots on MacDill when the 310th AS arrived. “We were getting ready to fly a training sortie since we were still in our initial spin up phase; we walked into the lounge and watched the first airplane hit. At this point we weren't operational yet but we went immediately into alert status and launched an aircraft on September 12 in order to help transport advisory council members to the president.”
Since then the 310th AS has continuously evolved and formed into the squadron they are today. In 2003 they switched from the aging CT-43A and EC-135N aircraft to the C-37A executive transport jets. These are the same aircraft that they have flown ever since.
The 310th AS is one of four executive airlift missions that provide support to the nation’s combatant commanders safely, comfortably and reliably.
“Time is a commodity that our nation’s combatant commanders don't have a lot of, so it's imperative that we keep them on a timeline,” Lindley said. “In order to ensure we got them where they needed to be we relied heavily on our aircrew and maintenance team to be professionals. We relied on the experiences of a very capable and talented maintenance team and they ensured we got off the ground with an outstanding 98% mission effectiveness rating.”
These Airmen provided safe transport and communication support to not only combatant commanders but oftentimes high profile individuals needing to be transported across the world.
“If we were getting a request to fly it’s because our customers were requiring some type of government airlift either for safety or communication,” Lindley said. “We ensured we got them where they needed to be in a timely fashion while keeping them in communication with other senior leaders.”
A typical flight consists of a five man team: two pilots, a flight engineer, a communications system operator, and a flight attendant.
“The level of work that went into these missions was very detailed. There is a lot of planning that had to go into making sure the needs of the distinguished visitor were met,” Lindley said. “We often had to levy a high amount of responsibility on our aircrew because we often had in route changes which required our aircrew to be confident and professional in making decisions while taking care of our customers.”
With the squadron officially inactivating on September 30, 2019 the last mission was flown from MacDill AFB July 1, 2019. Although the final mission was flown, the squadron currently remains at MacDill until the inactivation ceremony. Two of the three aircraft will go to the 65th AS at Ramstein Air Base and the third aircraft will go to the 76th AS at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
“We are a small squadron, we are tight knit and we are a family,” Charles said. “The most rewarding part for all of us involved in this mission is seeing the impact we have after every flight.”

• Date Taken: 07.12.2019
• Date Posted: 07.12.2019 13:47
• Story ID: 331150
• Location: TAMPA, FL, US