22nd Airlift Squadron prepares for C-5 Galaxy surge

  • Published
  • By Airman Madelyn Ottem
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Members of the 22nd Airlift Squadron, and all Airmen associated with the C-5 Galaxy, are preparing for a surge that will put the effectiveness and efficiency of the aircraft to the test.

The purpose of the surge is to test the capabilities of the C-5 community, said Staff Sgt. Ryan Padgett, 22nd AS C-5 loadmaster. Bases all around the world want to see how many C-5s we can generate at any given time so we can evaluate our wartime capacity.

The C-5 will be taking on the already existing, real-world missions that would normally be allocated to different aircraft. This surge will more than double the average daily workload of the aircraft and the Airmen that work with it.

"This is going to be a busy period of time for the squadron in general," said Maj. Joe Maxon, 22nd AS C-5 pilot. "I get the impression that a lot of people are excited about this. It's one of those times where we get to see how effective we can be with a lean-forward attitude about making the mission happen."

"We like flying more than sitting in the office, so this surge means we get to go fly, and that generally makes us pretty happy," Padgett said.

For many Travis Airmen, the surge is an opportunity to witness the full potential of the aircraft they work with daily at a much faster tempo than they are accustomed to.

"Our wartime capabilities are normally tested in Operational Readiness Inspections," said Tech. Sgt. Dannis Presley, 22nd AS C-5 flight engineer. "But this is real world, and we're actually going to be out moving cargo and doing our jobs at a higher level."

The surge is C-5 specific due to the unique characteristics and capabilities the aircraft offers.

"There are certain vehicles that can only be transported by the C-5," Padgett said. "A classic example is the Navy Deep Submerge Rescue Vehicle. The Navy has a mission for rescuing downed submarines and with the help of the C-5, we can load a DSRV and get it anywhere in the world in 24 hours."

"We've got a capability to carry larger cargo loads farther than any of the other airplanes in the Air Force fleet," Maxon added.

Travis, having the highest count of C-5s, will provide approximately one third of the C-5s in the Air Force wide surge, Padgett said.

When the surge has come to a close, an operational assessment team will evaluate the results and determine ways to more effectively support rapid global mobility.