BEEliner spouses tour C-17

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Madelyn Ottem
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 21st Airlift Squadron opened their doors to the spouses of Airmen from the squadron Monday to experience the capabilities of the BEEliners during a spouse tour and demonstration.

Lt. Col. Joe Dingman, 21st Airlift Squadron commander, addressed the spouses during a mission briefing prior to boarding the aircraft.

"This is our way of saying thank you," he said. "This is your home too; you're part of the family."

Once they were buckled down and strapped into the C-17 Globemaster III, spouses were able to observe porters and loadmasters working together to load two training pallets onto the aircraft. Once the plane started its engines, Tech. Sgt. Tranquilino Herrera assisted with a combat offload of the pallets.

A combat offload is a time-efficient method of dropping off cargo. The C-17 is able to offload the cargo pallets while the aircraft is still in motion for a quick turnaround.

"The primary purpose of the combat offload is to expedite ground operations when offload support equipment is in short supply or the threat to an aircraft on the ground is a
factor," said Capt. Jason Richardson, 21st AS C-17 pilot. "This method greatly reduces the time an aircraft must remain on the ground, improving its survivability in a ground-threat environment."

After the combat offload, Dingman presented each of the spouses with a rose to symbolize his appreciation for the support they give their loved ones on a daily basis.
For Stephanie Danelz, wife of Senior Airman Richard Danelz, this was her second experience on a spouse C-17 event.

"Being able to see what my husband does at his job renews my pride in him," she said.
"Working with aircraft is more complicated than I thought; it's a pretty cool job."

Richardson, the coordinator of the event, was proud to showcase the capabilities and inform the spouses of the aircraft their loved ones work with and utilize regularly.

"We are the only true tactical and strategic aircraft," Richardson said. "We can go in theater and land in short airfields or dirt runways. We can offload equipment and troops directly into the fight, turn around and take off. The C-17 encompasses the best aspects of the C-130 and the C-5."