C-17 Globemaster III crew doing its part

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Paul J. Gonzalez
  • U.S. Central Command Air Forces News Team
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  A long day of loading and unloading cargo off of the C-17 Globemaster III is nothing new to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron aircrew. On this day the crew was able to fly in more than 80 aircraft pallets full of supplies to Balad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The deployed environment is very tasking and very busy," said Capt. Steven Campbell, aircraft commander in training. "Flying tactical missions in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan is a great environment to learn what the C-17 can do and see what it is capable of."

Master Sgt. Bryan Beaty, a 21-year loadmaster, began his career on the C-130 Hercules, moved to the C-141 Starlifter, C-5 Galaxy and most recently to the C-17. So he knows a little something about cargo missions.

"OIF missions are typically three to five stops a day, with almost two hours between flights," Sergeant Beaty said. "Making the upload happen as fast as you can and then waiting is very fatiguing."

OIF missions are different from regular cargo missions that crews are more used to. It involves quicker reaction times and less time to take in what they are actually accomplishing.

"Here you don't have much time; you do the upload, go out start engines and begin the take off process then your doing paperwork or getting ready for the next upload," Sergeant Beaty said.

In the cockpit of the C-17 sits Captain Campbell, who traded in an office job for a seat with a view from 20,000 feet.

"I joined the Air Force specifically to fly the C-17. I was working an office job in New Hampshire, and I got sick of working there so I started getting my private license," he said. "I had a manager who was a B-52 (Stratofortress) weapons officer, and he pushed me to join the Air Force. I got lucky enough to go through OTS and become a pilot."

Recently, the 816th EAS expanded its rotation in Southwest Asia to 120 days. The extended rotation has brought more of a home station atmosphere while being deployed.

"When we moved as a whole squadron we brought the whole family along," said Sergeant Beaty. "It just has a bigger family feel than last time. That's what I like about this deployment."

Another highlight for Sergeant Beaty during the deployment is the fact that after training for 20 years on combat air drops, he was a finally able to take part in one.

"This deployment we got to do something most of us here only (do) in training," he said. "For Operation Enduring Freedom we did combat air drops in Afghanistan, and I got to be a part of that. It was very exciting. That's the highlight of my career."