Flightline upgrades boost mission Published April 5, 2004 By Capt. Tom Knowles 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- New upgrades to the flightline are boosting operational capabilities, helping Airmen accomplish the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing’s expanding role to provide intra-theatre airlift for deployed forces.The latest upgrades completed March 31 include a new 320,000-square-foot C-130 Hercules parking ramp. The ramp was needed to accommodate the growing fleet of C-130s assigned to the 386th AEW at a forward-deployed location. Because of the growth, many aircraft were temporarily parked at a ramp originally designed for helicopters. “As the mission of the base has grown, we’ve essentially run out of room to park C-130s,” said Maj. Mark Allen, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron commander. “Parking C-130s at the (helicopter) ramp was a temporary fix, designed to get us through the winter months until another ramp could be built.” The alternate ramp that was used is only about 2 inches thick. With the extreme heat in the region during summer months, any C-130 parked there would likely sink into the pavement because of the weight of the aircraft, officials said. To prevent this from happening, the new ramp was made out of interlocking aluminum matting. “The planks we used for this project are 2-by-12 feet, weigh about 140 pounds a piece, and are 2 inches thick,” said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Carter, a foreman with the 386th ECES. “The individual pieces of matting are designed like a semihollow plank and are interlocking to keep them from moving around.”Choosing the new ramp location was an easy decision, Major Allen said.“The area where we’ve built the new ramp had already been prepped for what used to be a Marine helicopter area,” he said. “So what we’ve done is put the metal matting back over the surface to accommodate the C-130s.” The project was designed to accommodate up to 10 C-130s. Primarily a CE Prime Base Engineer Emergency Forces effort, several base agencies have also played a part in its construction, including the maintenance group, services, the communications squadron, force protection and others. “Our guys have been cranking right along on this project … ,” Major Allen said. “One person operates the forklift with a pile full of mats, the mat crews put down the planks, and from there it’s just build, build, build. Everyone has done a great job, and we’re grateful for the help we’ve received from our volunteers.” Because of CE’s extensive work on the project, it has since been dubbed the “Beef Ramp.”