February 2015 31 a variety of missions for both the Air Force and the Reserve. “At first, I thought they were kind of goofy-looking, just a big cargo airplane,” says Staff Sgt. Anthony Fagalde, avionics technician with the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, who has spent most of his six years in the Air Force at McChord. “But after several deployments, I see just how much they put these planes through. There is no rest for these planes. To withstand that kind of use is pretty impressive.” His deployments have included Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Asia, where Fagalde worked on C-17s on the ground, taking care of the aircraft’s electronics, including flight controls, computers and the navigation system. But Fagalde is training to become a flying C-17 crew chief, which would enable him to fly on the aircraft on a regular basis. That’s his goal—and his dream. McChord is home to the 62nd Airlift Wing of the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command, which includes the Maintenance Group. It is also home to the 446th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command that includes the 97th, 728th and 313th airlift squadrons. Some 24 hours after the Reserve training flight to Moses Lake, another C-17 on the McChord flight line is being readied for a much different kind of mission for the 62nd Airlift Wing, and in much different weather. Mount Rainier will never show itself on this day. As rain and wind lash the flight line in the pre-dawn darkness, ground crews are removing heavy armor protection from the C-17’s flight deck and radome, as well as from the loadmaster’s station at the front of the mammoth cargo compartment. The aircraft won’t need such protection from enemy fire where it is going, and the extra weight would cut down on range—and this C-17 has a long way to fly. It is about to take part in Operation Deep Freeze, the Air Force’s annual effort to support the National Science Foundation by supplying research outposts in Antarctica. The crew will fly to Christchurch, New Zealand, then make several trips to ferry scientists, equipment and supplies more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) to McMurdo Station, a supply and passenger hub for Antarctica. The mission, which is expected to last less than 30 days, is challenging, and requires landing the four-engine C-17 on an ice field that serves as the runway at McMurdo Station. The round-trip flights from Christchurch to McMurdo Station typically take about 10 hours, with another hour or so spent unloading and sometimes loading the aircraft on the ice field. Among the aircrew is Staff Sgt. Mick Johnson, with the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. It will be his first trip to New Zealand and McMurdo Station. And he’s excited. “I’ve been to six continents. But I’ve never been to New Zealand or Antarctica,” Johnson says, standing in the C-17 cargo compartment, which is 88 feet (26.8 meters) long, 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide and 12.4 feet (3.8 meters) high. The massive aft cargo ramp is open as rain pelts the flight line and Johnson and other crew members prepare the aircraft for the trip to the bottom of the world. “I’m excited that I get to do something like this for the mission and the military,” he says. Johnson, who has been in the Air Force for 10 years, the past three maintaining C-17s at McChord, is a jet engine mechanic and takes care of the airlifter’s four Pratt & Whitney engines that each produce about 40,440 pounds (180 kilonewtons) of thrust. The engines, with some modifications, are the same as the Pratt engines that power Boeing’s 757 commercial jetliner. Until this mission, Johnson’s favorite on a C-17 was an airdrop of supplies Photos: A U.S. Air Force C-17 is refueled by a KC-135 tanker over the Arizona desert. Bob ferguson | Boeing In addition to the U.S. Air Force, a number of international customers operate C-17s, including Canada (top right) and the United Kingdom (bottom). DND -MDN Canada; royal air force
Frontiers February 2015 Issue
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