Ready to Load

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.--Senior Airman Zachary Zieman (left) and Staff Sgt. Dana Kelley, 815th Airlift Squadron loadmasters, hook up a chain to the back of a M35 2.5 ton cargo truck, also known as a "deuce-and-a-half." During the 403rd Wing's August Unit Training Assembly, Citizen Airmen of the 815th AS and the 41st Aerial Port Squadron practiced loading and offloading the truck onto one of the squadron's C-130J-30 aircraft. The C-130J-30 is a "stretched" version of the J-model with 15 additional feet in length allowing crews to load more cargo than legacy C-130s. Rather than backing the vehicle onto the plane, they used the truck to simulate heavy, stationary cargo that needed to be on-loaded using a system of chains, hooks and pulleys. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens)