97th AMW loadmaster grads ready to conquer world

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Aldric Borders
  • 97th AMW Public Affairs
ALTUS AFB, Okla. --  From having lunch on the Rhine River to watching penguins play in Antarctica, loadmasters travel the four corners of the world and then some to support the 24/7 Air Force mission. The 97th Training Squadron's Basic Loadmaster Course is where Airmen take their first steps and learn just what it takes to load and unload aircraft anywhere, anytime. After graduating here, students move on to learn the specifics of the cargo aircraft they will be flying. 

But what exactly is the 97th TRS producing when it graduates a new class of soon to be loadmasters? According to Tech. Sgt. Jason Soule, a 97th TRS Basic loadmaster Course instructor, the 97th TRS supplies the basic skills Airmen need to supervise the on and offload of cargo, determine all weight and balance calculations for aircraft, handle passenger and do it all safely. 

"A good reason of why employing these skills is so important is because they make the difference between life and death, the difference between flying a successful mission and coming home or not," said Sergeant Soule. 
"For example if a sensitive explosive like C-4 is loaded next to a pallet of batteries your going to wind up in little bits before you ever get where you're going. Also if you do something such as load a box of cyanide next to acid you'll end up flying around in a self made gas chamber." 

This type of attention to detail and the skills needed to know how to avoid loading pitfalls is what makes loadmasters so important to the mission, said Sergeant Soule.
"We prepare Airmen to be able to take care of everything in the back of the plane," said Tech. Sgt. John Lindgren, a 97th TRS Basic Loadmaster Course instructor, who went on to explain how not loading the aircraft in a balanced way might cause it to crash.
"An airplane has to fly in a straight and level wing configuration. If you put too much weight in the nose of the airplane it may cause it to fly at an unleveled angle or not lift off the runway during takeoff, or crash upon landing. If you have too much weight out of balance on the left or right side of the airplane you could cause the air plane to roll after take off and crash. So we ensure all the calculations and all the data is correct." 

The five and 1/2 week Basic loadmaster Course taught at the 97th TRS takes Airmen through the basics of learning how an aircraft should be balanced, calculating that balance and then properly loading the aircraft according to those calculations.
"I like to tell my students what Lt. Col. Steve Legrand, 97th Operations Group deputy commander, says during graduation," said Sergeant Lindgren. "'If it weren't for loadmasters in the back of the airplane, we pilots would just be tourist. If there's no one in the back to get the airplane loaded and make sure all the cargo is tied down and secured, we'd just be sight seeing.'" 

As for what students can look forward to after receiving their first-class education from the 97th TRS and moving on to the next step in becoming loadmasters, well here's what the instructors had to say:
"Flying around the world is the greatest part about this job. I have been to all seven continents, experience tons of different cultures. Pure excitement, you never know where this job will take you next. You're sitting for breakfast in Hawaii, next thing you know you're having dinner in Japan. I can't believe I get paid to fly all around the world and see all the different people and culture it has to offer." - Sergeant Lindgren.
"Through this job I'm able to experience what it means to be on the tip of the spear. At a moments notice I could be air dropping food to people who are starving or supporting almost anything associated with the Global War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, by flying into and out places, loading and unloading cargo needed by those there. I love knowing I am serving my country everyday." - Sergeant Soule.