Photo By Master Sgt. Jenifer Calhoun | Senior Airman Brittny Williams, an air transportation journeyman with the 380th...... read more read more
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SOUTHWEST ASIA - Far from her hometown area of Catawba County in western North Carolina, Senior Airman Brittny Williams is keeping deployed operations moving at non-disclosed base here -- one pallet at a time.
As an air transportation journeyman with the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's Air Terminal Operations Center, Williams supports all aerial port operations for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing -- a deployed wing of more than 1,900 personnel.
Air transportation Airmen, or aerial porters, like Williams are trained to be able to move cargo, passengers, or both on a moment's notice. Each air transportation Airman deployed to the ATOC, including Williams, 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.
Williams' 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.
"What we do here is fun - we're not cooped up behind a desk," said Williams, who is deployed from the 89th Aerial Port Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Md.
In directing air transportation activities, aerial porters like Williams 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.
Williams 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 Williams 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.
"Working here in the deployed environment has helped me better my skills as an aerial porter," Williams said. "I've learned a lot more about cargo movement, tractor-trailer loading and more."
Williams said she joined the Air Force and the military because it was a life she was used to and to continue a family tradition.
"My mom did 20 years in the Air Force so I was used to the military lifestyle growing up," said Williams, whose hometown areas are Sherrills Ford and Catawba County, N.C. "My family tells me it makes them proud knowing what I do for the Air Force. When I joined I wanted to travel like my mom did and being here is an example of one of the reasons I joined."
| Date Taken: | 06.14.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2010 17:26 |
| Story ID: | 51375 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 215 |
| Downloads: | 195 |
This work, North Carolina native, deployed from Joint Base Andrews, supports deployed air transportation operations in Southwest Asia, by MSgt Jenifer Calhoun, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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