AF Load Masters

jcoleman16

jcoleman16

New Member
I was reading something recently about the Air Force and it said that the load master was an alternative to being a pilot. Since I have 20/200(left eye) and 20/40(right eye) (basically means real eyesight), I was wondering what a load master did and if he got to work inside aircraft and be of benefit to the pilot.

Thanks for the replies
 
A Loadmaster is an enlisted crew position. It is one of the very few positions you can get right out of basic. That means you are part of an aircrew and trained as such. In the Air Force, you can find Loadmasters on C130s, C17s, and C5s. As far as assisting the pilot, well, the Flight Engineer assist the pilot really. Unless it is airdrop, the Load has very little inflight duties except to keep an eye on the cargo and play Flight Attendant when Pax are on board. That being said, it is a great way to see the world. A good crew on a 10+ day mission can be an awesome experience.
 
LoadMasterC141 said:
A Loadmaster is an enlisted crew position. It is one of the very few positions you can get right out of basic. That means you are part of an aircrew and trained as such. In the Air Force, you can find Loadmasters on C130s, C17s, and C5s. As far as assisting the pilot, well, the Flight Engineer assist the pilot really. Unless it is airdrop, the Load has very little inflight duties except to keep an eye on the cargo and play Flight Attendant when Pax are on board. That being said, it is a great way to see the world. A good crew on a 10+ day mission can be an awesome experience.
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Curiously, can one get FE out of basic?

And can FEs go back and forth between fixed wing and rotary wing? Or if you go one track, thats what you stay with?
 
It has been over a decade since I left but back then FE was a no go out of basic. It was a fairly advanced crew position and those guys really had to know the plane inside and out. Basically think of them as the guys that pinch hit for the pilot in systems class lol. So it used to be you had to be at least 3 years as a crew chief or prior aircrew before you could become an FE.

Not sure if they could go between rotor and fixed. Don't see why not. It takes a long time to get through FE school though. For example, on the C-5, it is 9 months long and usually another year before you qualify.
 
On the history channel, a flight engineer for a CH-53 was interviewed. He said you had to be an officer for that position. The stuff he knew about that helo was pretty intense, and the way he described his job, I was impressed.
 
traumachicken said:
On the history channel, a flight engineer for a CH-53 was interviewed. He said you had to be an officer for that position. The stuff he knew about that helo was pretty intense, and the way he described his job, I was impressed.
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All FEs in the USAF are enlisted, whether C-141 or MH-53.
 
MikeD said:
Curiously, can one get FE out of basic?

And can FEs go back and forth between fixed wing and rotary wing? Or if you go one track, thats what you stay with?
Click to expand...

can only cross train to FE...and i think you have to be in a mx type career field to cross train to FE.
 
I am currently a Flight Engineer on MC-130P Combat Shadows.

Yes, you need to be prior Mx, (Air Force 2AXXX AFSC, Army-USMC-Navy, various Rates/MOSes), or be an A&P, AMT or hold at least a Private Pilot License to meet the pre-requisites.

I'll tell you that NOBODY is going to hire a new guy off the street...even a guy flying for the regionals...and then send him to Basic and then the FE tech schools. No matter what. I bet a $100 bottle of scotch on that one.

Helicopters had a high school to flight school FE program for a while, but it didn't work out well AT ALL. Flight Engineer on any USAF airframe that requires ENG's is going to be DEMANDING. All 4 of my tails on our flight line are 1966 models, so you do the math. FE is responsible for preflight of the ENTIRE aircraft, as well as running all checklists, ensuring compliance, running the flaps and NVG compatible lights, runs the fuel panel, the electrical panel, the anti-ice and de-ice panel, runs air cnditioning system and cabin pressurization system...computes manual charted Take Off and Landing Data (TOLD), and post said data to mini cards for the pilots to reference. Handles all basic Maintenance that a crew chief would normally do when on the road without Crew Chief support. For my airframe, the ENG handles the aerial refueling system that pumps gas in flight to the helicopters, and ENG runs the ramp and door for certain airdrops.

NOT an entry level job...at all. I'm over 1,000 hours deep into this job, and I am still learning a lot. We really are the 3rd set of eyes on everything, and the 1st one to catch ANYTHING.

Load-Smashers in the back are very important, but are rarely up on the flight deck. Their world is behind the bulkhead (FS245 on Herks), but no less important.

Feel free to PM me for any more info. I have an Infantry (ARMY), Helicopter avionics and flight line/flight test (ARMY) and FLight Engineer background. I know a lot about what it takes to get going in that world. I am VERY glad I crossed from green to blue. Hit me up any time.

-Doug-
 
Can say that everything lstgnfghtr said for an AF FE is the same for a Navy FE.

Currently a Flight Engineer on the Navy E-6B Mercury. Anyone with questions, feel free to PM!
 
I know of only ONE guy to go FE from off the street. He had to stay in our dorms (loadmasters) through tech school and complete our phase program with the rest of us. He had an extensive civilian mx background in addition to his ppl. The dude was sharp and was going to a C-130 Guard/Reserve unit in New York. That was eight years ago and I haven't heard of anyone doing it since.

Enlisting as a load is a great way to go, I would highly encourage it! As others have said, feel free to ask any more questions you may have. Good luck with your research and decisions.
 
I talked to the New York unit about that before I got officially hired at my unit. We had to work some paperwork on me as well, as I crossed from the Army, and they didn't cross the job titles exactly, so I needed to do a waiver (which wasn't even really necessary because I was already a pilot). I spoke to them about the process.

That New York unit is our sister unit, and I can totally imagine that with our mission (seriously different than simple trash haulers), that a guy off the street would get eaten alive going through that particular pipeline. Even if you made it through the Rock, I doubt Kirtland would be do-able...unless you were like that guy and had a lot of civilian time, and had developed a lot of maturity and Situational Awareness from your prior experiences. For a 21 year old kid off the street with no experience in Mx, it would be one helluva ballsy move. (not that it couldn't be done, just highly unlikely).

Load is no cup of tea in our mission either. I am constantly amazed at the professionalism I see coming out of some of our young pups in the back. On the ground, and at the bar, they are snot nosed kids...and you can tell they are young and inexperienced in life...but when we have a stick of Heroes ready to go out HALO somewhere, they metamorphasize into professional leaders and execute the mission Time-on-Target. Blows me away every time I see them, because at their age, I was still just young, dumb, and full of............ ;-)
 
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