Travis gives the hook up to transportation of unmanned vehicles

by Staff Sgt. Patrick Harrower
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

5/2/2013 - TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Travis porters transferred two unmanned aerial vehicles and their support equipment from ground transportation to a C-17 Globemaster III Tuesday on base. The UAVs were moved through Travis because the special cargo mission here makes it feasible.

"It takes a lot of coordination to do something like this," said Matthew Greenwood, 60th Aerial Port Squadron special plans and projects. "A lot of people have to inspect and supervise cargo like this and when it's finally loaded on the aircraft, they have to be very cautious of the sensitive equipment inside."

The UAVs weighed in at more than 11,000 pounds each. Including their support equipment, the total load on the plane was around 50 or 60 thousand pounds, he said.

Special cargo must be carefully inspected, supervised and planned before it can finally be loaded onto the aircraft, Greenwood said.

When moving this much special cargo with so much coordination required, the porters here can use all the help they can get. This is where extra porters from a Reserve unit at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, came to help.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Airman 1st Class John Tapia, 74th Aerial Port Squadron air transportation specialist. "We are getting training here we don't usually get a chance to get. I am learning a lot about tiedowns, chains and shoring, as well as safety around aircraft."

The mission at Travis makes it a go-to destination for Tapia's squadron to visit for their training and proficiency, he said.

"Not only is it beneficial to the Reserve squadrons to come here and train, but it helps us out greatly to have the extra manpower around to deal with the operations tempo," Greenwood said.

The 60th APS frequently uses the unique relationship they have with their Reserve counterparts to handle their busy and ever-growing mission, he said.

"We really do deal with everything," Greenwood said. "Today we are moving UAVs, tomorrow it could be relief cargo for downrange or foreign equipment for our allies around the world. This is the mission."