Booms do more than just pass gas

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Scott Mathews
  • 916 ARW/PA NCOIC
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, NC --  On a recent trip to England to deliver cargo in September, boom operators showed they do more than just aerial refueling.
Most people know the primary job of the boom operator is to operate the boom during air to air refueling, but many may not know they have other important jobs such as acting as a loadmaster on the KC-135 Stratotanker when important cargo needs to be moved. Such was the case on a recent deployment from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base to the United Kingdom.
"It's called a roller mission because we install rollers on the floor inside the aircraft so the pallets can be moved easier and placed in the proper area on the plane," said Tech. Sgt. Rich Bonicelli, boom operator, 77th Air Refueling Squadron.
The day started out at about 2:30 p.m. when members met at the 77th ARS as part of a normal procedure that is done before every flight. The aircrew talked about emergency evacuation plans, the weather, the mission, the route and received their intelligence briefing. While the day seemed normal to most of the crew, it was a little more stressful for one member of the team.
This particular flight was a "check flight" for one of the boom operators. This is an evaluation that is done to ensure proper procedures are being met for loading and unloading of the aircraft. Boom operators are evaluated on this every few years. However, every boom operator has to load and unload cargo at least every six months.
A few hours later after all the pre-flight procedures were met, the airplane took off for Dover Air Force Base, DE.
For the 916th Air Refueling Wing this is a routine monthly mission to Dover to pick up cargo then to Mildenhall Air Base, England and back.
After touching down at Dover, the boom operators meet with air terminal operations center personnel on the flightline with the cargo. This is when the discussions and number crunching begins.
"The boom operator's job now consists of checking to make sure cargo is properly secured, figuring out the weight distribution of the load, the sequence of loading and the center of gravity," said Chief Master Sgt. Sean Martin, senior boom operator, 77th ARS.
ATOC also briefs the boom operators on types of cargo, hazardous material involved and they go over detailed checklists together.
"This is an extensive process that needs to be done correctly to ensure proper operation and balancing of the aircraft," added Chief Martin.
After this lengthy process, the boom operator briefs all involved and then the cargo is loaded. On this mission, there were six pallets weighing more than 18,000 pounds.
All the computations were then given to the pilots so they can compute how to correctly take-off, fly and land.
A short time later, the airplane took off from Dover heading to Mildenhall. After more than six hours in the air, the airplane landed in England. ATOC met them on the flightline and then the work began for the unloading of the heavy cargo.
After the cargo was unloaded and delivered to the proper people, the crew went to get some rest. Only 24 hours later the whole process started over again. More cargo was scheduled to go back to Dover.
"It is a whirlwind of a mission but it's one that has to be done," said Chief Martin.
Chief Martin also added that this is a very important role for the boom operators and it is important for it to be done correctly.
"I have been told many times that this is the best job in the Air Force," said Sergeant Bonicelli.