Altus aircrew showcases dual-row airdrop

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Aldric Borders
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFPN) --  An aircrew from the 58th Airlift Squadron here has made the first dual-row airdrop from a C-17 Globemaster III July 5.

"Dual row airdrops allow for twice as much cargo and heavy equipment to be delivered into a combat environment as compared to the conventional single row drop," said Lt. Col. Tal Metzgar, 58th Airlift Squadron commander. In addition, dual-row airdrops, whenever practical, will save time and fuel dollars.

"The importance behind having dual row airdrop capabilities is it will help support the Army's need to perform strategic brigade airdrops, where an entire brigade is dropped onto a drop zone in a certain amount of time," said Maj. John Tringali, an instructor pilot with the 58th AS and the mission commander for the airdrop.

The difference between a dual-row and a conventional airdrop is more than just how much is being dropped; it requires an aircrew to use different procedures when performing the drop.

"Conventional airdrops are designed to send cargo down the center of the aircraft on airdrop rails, while dual-row airdrops send cargo down the left and right side of the aircraft on logistics rails," Major Tringali said.

Logistics rails were not designed for airdrops, but for loading and unloading the plane while it is parked. Because these rails are not designed for airdrops, the plane's computer does not have the right software to do calculations for a dual-row airdrop.

This means pilots now have to manually type in how the ballistics work so the computer can figure out the information needed for the airdrop.

"(Besides) this, loadmasters have to manually release the cargo from its locked position when they're ready to drop it, as opposed to the plane doing it automatically during a conventional airdrop," Major Tringali said. "Also, since the left-side cargo can be hidden from view of the loadmaster control panel, two loadmasters need to work together on dual row as opposed to normal airdrops using a single loadmaster."

Teamwork and clear communications are critical for these drops. The loadmasters have to time the drop by eye so there is no pause between the end of the first row dropping and the start of the second row dropping. If the second row is released too soon, it could possibly collide with cargo being dropped from the first row, causing their chutes to fail. If the second row is released too late, it might take too long to fall out of the aircraft causing the cargo to land past the end of the drop zone.

"Meanwhile, as the loadmasters are doing their job, the pilots have to keep the plane angled accurately down to the degree," Major Tringali said. "Pilots must have the nose pitched up at a four-degree angle, plus or minus a half-degree."

If the angle of the plane is too steep it will cause the locks which release the cargo to jam because of the weight of the cargo leaning against them. And if the angle is too shallow -- or the plane is too level -- the cargo will not roll out of the plane when it is released.

"It's exciting to see all this teamwork come together to make it all happen," Colonel Metzgar said. "There are so many agencies that were, and still are involved, in making dual-row airdrops a reality at Altus."

The addition of dual-row airdrops to the training schedule is just one of many changes in training the base has undergone to provide a better product for worldwide bases.

"There's been a change of philosophy lately," Major Tringali said. "Altus is no longer a place where Airmen come to just learn how to land the plane and are sent to their unit to learn everything else about (using) the aircraft. Within the last year we've started teaching students not only how to fly and load planes but how to tactically (use) the aircraft in a wartime scenario." (Courtesy of AETC News Service)