JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. –
(Editor's note: This is part three of a three-part series on boom operator training. Part one was published Aug. 29, 2013, and part two was published Oct. 3, 2013.)
KC-10 Extender boom operators do more than just pass fuel from one jet to another; they are also trained to coordinate cargo loads on their aircraft.
Student boom operators at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst must complete their last training portion, cargo phase, after the 305th Operations Support Squadron Formal Training Unit before achieving "mission qualified" status.
Cargo phase is a course designed for student boom operators to become proficient at weight calculations as well as cargo loading and unloading.
Student booms in this training phase learn to calculate weights, coordinate with aerial porters and load cargo. The course is split between approximately 20 to 30 hours of classroom instruction and hands-on cargo loading onto a KC-10, which can be a static load or a real cargo mission. Student booms here have 110 days to complete cargo phase, which can culminate early depending on the student's grasp of the information.
"The mass of information students need to retain is the biggest challenge in cargo phase," said Senior Airman Clay Wonders, 2nd Air Refueling Squadron instructor boom operator. "The course requires a lot of memorization and studying, but students who apply themselves make it through a lot quicker."
Student booms spend a great deal of the course in the classroom, located inside of McGuire's hangar Big Beige, studying Air Force publications and manuals which teach proper procedures for cargo loading. Classroom hours also include practicing weight calculations manually and using an application which allows them to plug in numbers to achieve the resulting weight distribution.
Big Beige also houses practice pallets the booms use to practice measuring cargo dimensions to ensure pallets are loaded correctly. This provides the boom with a hands-on application to memorize formulas and procedures.
"I study off duty quite a bit," said Airman 1st Class Stephanie Hodge, 2nd ARS student boom from Patterson, N.J. "It's imperative to stay on top of the material to retain it."
Student booms like Hodge practice calculating weight balances and ensuring cargo is prepared correctly when performing a cargo load.
"The first thing I do when I arrive for a load is perform checks inside and out of the jet to make sure the everything is ready," said Hodge as she explained the cargo-load check.
Hodge checks the fire extinguisher, wheel chalks, cargo loading and exhaust areas, the cargo and air-refueling cabin doors and the cargo bay to make sure these items are properly functioning and safe.
Booms must ensure weight is distributed correctly across the cargo floor for the aircraft to operate correctly. They must additionally ensure cargo restraints can support the load on every pallet. Booms have to rebuild any unsafe pallets and ensure hazardous cargo, such as explosives, is loaded correctly.
"We try not to keep the students in the classroom more than necessary," said Wonders. "The students usually get an hour of hands-on training for every classroom hour to break up the monotony."
Instructor booms have 18 cargo items they use to practice jet loading including water tanks, ammunition cases, ground vehicles and even replica jet engines to name a few. Wonders can test students' knowledge by building flaws into cargo for the students to discover. They can route a chain or secure a cargo net incorrectly, affording students the opportunity to prove their thoroughness and familiarity.
The last step after loading cargo is checking for any hazards before finishing.
"It's important that the students become comfortable with loading cargo," said Wonders. "I spent too much time in the classroom when I learned to load cargo, which was incorporated into FTU then."
Students practice all aspects of the cargo mission through a balance of classroom instruction, static loads, recommended rides and real cargo missions.
Local training missions in which a student loads cargo, flies and unloads cargo. Instructors accompany their students on any recommended rides, a local training mission before a check ride, or real cargo missions to keep them safe.
Recommended rides are missions which allow the students to get a feel for what their check rides will be like, said Wonders.
Students must undergo a final evaluation, or check flight, in which they must prove to an evaluator they are proficient at every part of cargo loading. The check ride is a real-world mission with organic trials and tribulations.
"Anything can happen during a check ride, so it's a real test of a boom's skills," said Hodge. "I'll be flying my second mission soon and it's another step toward my check ride."
Booms who display complete proficiency in a check flight graduate cargo phase and, given all ground training and other requirements are fulfilled, achieve mission-qualified status and are ready to fuel the mobility mission conducting real-world sorties, missions and deployments.