TSgt. Brian Abraham on Oct. 17 became the first aerial porter in the Air Force to power up a C-17 airlifter, reports Amn. Melissa White. Abraham, an instructor with the 437th Aerial Port Squadron, is one of only two aerial porters certified to power up a C-17; the other is TSgt. Patricia McClure, another 437th APS instructor. Both Abraham and McClure completed an 18-hour aerial port expeditor program specifically designed to teach aerial porters the basics for applying external power to the C-17, a qualification normally reserved for aircraft maintainers. The airmen attempting to load a C-17 at Charleston on Oct. 17 needed power to load a C-17 from McChord, but with no maintainers available, Abraham took the call. The APEX program is under test for about a year, then Air Mobility Command could extend the training to other bases as a means to save time for loadmasters and maintainers.
In written testimony to the Senate, the nominee to oversee the Air Force’s installations and energy enterprise endorsed the continued privatization of military housing and called for the department to think more during the acquisition process about how it will power new weapons systems when the logistics supply chain is…
