Ramstein member becomes first AF civilian to reach 500 APEX milestone

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Michael Voss
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  More than five years ago, Air Force Expeditionary Center officials started Aerial Port Expeditor courses, a program that changed the way loading and unloading operations were conducted throughout the Air Force.

Kasper Chevalier, a member of the 721st Aerial Port Squadron here, became the first Air Force civilian to reach 500 APEX missions.

"I am proud that I have done this, but this is a team effort," Mr. Chevalier said. "I can't push 900 pounds by myself. I am proud of my team, most are 19 or 20 years old, and each day we load millions and millions of pounds of cargo without any serious mishaps. That is the real accomplishment."

As a member of ramp services at the 721st APS, Mr. Chevalier and his co-workers are responsible for an average of 70 aircraft a day. This, coupled with his love for working, makes it conceivable for him to one day hit 1,000 APEX missions.

"He reached 500 here because he is always working. He's a workaholic," said Staff Sgt. Donald Ray, a 721st APS aerial porter.

In fact, in the two years of working at Ramstein since his APEX certifications, the former Dutch Highway patrol officer has not once taken a day off for sick leave. 

Mr. Chevalier said arriving at the office everyday is not work, it is a hobby.

"People say reading or golf are their hobbies. I believe those are interests," he said. "Work is my hobby, I love working. When I first went to APEX class, I just wanted to work."

The APEX program allows select air transportation personnel to obtain qualifications similar to aircraft loadmasters, enabling a shorter on the ground time for loadcrews.

After completion of a Web-based training program, APEX students study areas including operational risk management and safety principles, different loading procedures, calculating cargo center of balance, shoring and restraint required, aircraft roller limitations, aircraft floor limitations, computing aircraft center of balance and aircraft winching. In addition, during the weeks of instruction students spend time familiarizing themselves with the applicable aircraft technical orders.

Mr. Chevalier, a self-professed jokester from the Netherlands, graduated the loading and unloading courses nearly two years ago after completing both the APEX class at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., for C-17 Globemaster IIIs, and at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., for C-5 Galaxies.

Currently, there are nearly 170 certified servicewide aerial port expeditors, but Mr. Chevalier is just one of six APEX civilians dual qualified on both C-17s and C-5s in the Air Force.

Additionally, Ramstein is the only Air Force base where local nationals perform this duty. Ramstein employs 18 aerial port expeditors, but the rest are a long way away from the 500-mission milestone.

At 47, Mr. Chevalier said he realized he always wanted to work around Air Force airplanes. By this point in his life, he had already traveled and experienced much of the world; he lived in Paris for 10 years, returned to the Netherlands, worked for Dutch Highway patrol for 15 years and decided he wanted to work around the Air Force. So, he and his wife sold their house, took a chance and moved to Ramstein to apply for Air Force civilian jobs.

"Working at Ramstein for the Air Force is the realization of a dream, " he said.

Two years later, Mr. Chevalier knows he has accomplished a lot, but he is not changing one bit.

"Now that I have hit 500, I just take tomorrow as another day," he said. "I plan to do this job until I retire."