People jumped onto the internet Tuesday and saw the shockingly intense video of Monday’s National Airlines 747 crash that took place just after takeoff from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. Though it is so very early in the investigation, early speculation indicates that it may have been a shift in the cargo load on the aircraft, which looks like a real possibility according to the video.
The flight is said to have been carrying 5 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs). Weighing in at 14 tons each, a sudden movement in the cargo hold from 28,000 pounds on even a 747 could easily upset the aircraft’s center of gravity (CG) while the aircraft is working hard to gain both speed and altitude. If there was a shift, did a vehicle become loose from a pallet or were the pallets not properly locked down to the cargo deck on the aircraft? Either way, people around the internet are already beginning to cast blame on the loadmaster. I do not know this loadmaster, and I do not know the conditions with which he/she were working in, but the role is a little-known job that carries some big responsibility.
In the US military, a loadmaster is a member of flight crew whose job it is to coordinate the loading of the aircraft in terms of positioning cargo (which may include passengers as well) to ensure a safe and efficient weight and balance of the aircraft, while making sure that it is all secure for the flight.
When the US military employs civilian charter airlines for troop and cargo movement, the duty of Loadmaster takes on even more responsibilities. Then often known as Ground Service Coordinators, this version of Loadmaster must also manage almost all aspects of ground operations, since these airlines usually have no representatives stationed at the various military bases with which they operate around the world. These people become portable Station Managers, if you will, setting up the arrival of passengers and the fuel truck, retrieving the flight plans, supervising aircraft service of the lavatories, cabin cleaning, catering, assisting mechanics when able, and updating your control center back at your company’s headquarters how all of this is proceeding on-time to keep Uncle Sam happy (since military charter should be a cash cow). Don’t forget, this is all while planning and performing the weight and balance and making sure those actually loading the plane are doing so as instructed and safely.
So what is it like to be a loadmaster in the charter airline world? It’s insane. At least it was during the year that I did it.
At the time of being hired by one of the many charter airlines that operate for the US military in 2006, I was a gym rat weighing in at about 190 pounds with hardly any body fat at all. When I was taken off the line after being promoted to an office position a year later, I was 155 pounds (at 6 foot, 2 inches), and I would run into friends who literally assumed I was dying or had developed a severe cocaine addiction.
Much of this is because I lived on the plane, literally, for days at a time. A Loadmaster did not have crew duty limitations like a pilot or flight attendant, and actually had very little regulation or protections of any kind. So after 8 or 10 hours of flying and arriving in some other part of the world, while the crew would get off and enjoy the comforts of a hotel bed, shower, local restaurant or even a beer, I would usually stay on the aircraft to prep for its next flight. Days and days of airline food, using baby wipes and a change of clothes in the lav, and sleeping in a seat that reclines as much as your typical airline economy seat allows, may be an indication of how my bodyweight withered away.
Rest, or lack thereof, to me, was the toughest part of the job. I’ve had trips that lasted as long as 8 days with no bed while going from the US to the Middle East, returning and then repeating the process. If the passenger count allowed for the empty seats, I’d have the luxury of blocking off a row of 3 or 4 seats so that I could lay across them to sleep in-flight. If it were packed a little tighter, I’d be confined to one seat. On some completely full flights, I had was forced to sit in the cockpit jumpseat, which is pretty cool, except for when it is your only chance to sleep before working the moment you land again.
To emphasize, this meant that you could only sleep when you’re in the sky, because you’re working when you’re on the ground. Working a lot of short hop flights all day? Then your day’s sleep will consist of short naps only when that aircraft is airborne. Plane packed tight with passengers on an eastbound trans-Atlantic flight? That means you’re going to be trying to get your day’s 8 hours of sleep while strapped fully upright in a cockpit jumpseat with the sun in your face the entire time. For the most part, we would only get off the plane if we arrived at home or if the plane we were on was taking an overnight rest (or if the aircraft broke down).
And you thought regional pilots had rest issues?
I recall telling people about the job, and they would all ask what I studied in college to do such a thing. At first I thought they were being rude toward me, because the reality is that I was hired at the age of 25 with my only prior experience having been owning NYCAviation, which was only a small nerd site at the time. One day I’m a bouncer asking a friend to see if she could get me an interview at this charter airline, and weeks later I’m in the Middle East doing the payload math that will bring soldiers to and from war.
Considering the above, I think it is fair to say that aside from the duties involved, that the job of Loadmaster is a dangerous and risky one. The challenging conditions can easily create an unsafe environment, and all of my friends that I’ve shared that job with watch that awful video and can just as easily envision themselves sitting on that plane and wondering “Could that have been me?”
The job is not pretty. But you know what? I regret none of it, and I’d do it again. Regardless of how taxing it was on my body, my finances and my personal life, it was among the most amazing experiences ever. As tough as it was, I would not have gotten through it if I did not love aviation as I did and feel an immense sense of pride in helping bring our soldiers home, or to make their journey to war that much more comfortable whenever and however I could. I worked my hardest to bring our servicemen and servicewomen home safely, and as often as I didn’t leave the plane, I still did end up with opportunities to explore dozens of unique and exotic countries around the globe.
Though I was thrust quickly into that amazing and unique job, my training was thorough enough, and though I developed strong confidence, I knew the importance of my job. I knew that cutting corners or skipping steps could mean the difference between life and death. I knew the consequences of not checking cargo locks, tugging on straps ensure that they were secure, and being positive that the loaders placed the cargo as I instructed. Because once that cargo doors closed, the paperwork I hand to the Captain has my signature on it, assuring him that I did my job, and further standing behind it because I was riding the plane myself as well.
Again, I do not know the specific environment under which this late National Airlines Loadmaster worked, but even if any of the responsibility was aimed at him or her, I do hope that the common nature and stresses of the job are considered and known, and that their family is proud of the contributions that were made to keep our nation’s military machine moving.
Rest in peace, National Flight 102.
Phil Derner founded NYCAviation in 2003. A lifetime aviation enthusiast that grew up across the water from La Guardia Airport, Phil has a background in online advertising and airline experience as a loadmaster, operations controller and flight dispatcher. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @phildernerjr.