A Jolly Farewell to Flight Engineers

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Elizabeth Baker
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  Operation Christmas Drop 2016 marks the end of an era for the active duty Air Force’s reliable workhorse, the C-130H Hercules cargo aircraft. This will be the last year that OCD will see a C-130 flight engineer take a seat in the cockpit.

Since its inception, the C-130H cockpit crew has consisted of four members: pilot, copilot, navigator and flight engineer. With technological advances and the release of the C-130’s newest iteration, the C-130 J, that classic combination is changing. Automated functions have taken over the roles of the flight engineer and the navigator on the J-model. Yokota is the last active duty U.S. Air Force base to employ the older H model and has begun the process of phasing them out.

For much of OCD’s history, flight engineers have been on the deck, monitoring aircraft for potential malfunctions and advising the rest of the air crew on how to respond.

“We’re always backing up the pilots,” said Staff Sgt. Thelmo Andre Garrucho, 36th airlift squadron C-130 H flight engineer and participant in OCD 2016. “The flight engineer is everyone’s backup. If we see or feel something wrong with the aircraft, like a ramp hydraulic malfunction, we’ll be the first to know and advise the crew how to respond to the situation.”

Yokota’s flight engineers who have chosen to remain in the military may cross train on to one of the air frames that still employs them, such as the C-5 Galaxy, the KC 10 Extender and the E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System, or they may follow the H model C-130s into the Air National Guard. Until then, Yokota’s flight engineers will continue to serve airlift missions such as OCD just as they have for decades.

OCD trains participants for airlift by dropping parachute bundles of donated goods and supplies over the Micronesian Islands. For air crew members like Garrucho, this means training in an environment more challenging than Yokota’s airfield.

“You have to react quickly and adapt to situations because there’s not an air traffic control tower or drop zone coordinator,” said Garrucho, who participated in OCD for the first time this year.

Ordinarily, an ATC helps guide aircraft and drop zone coordinators keep the drop zone clear, monitor the weather and communicate directly with the air crew. At OCD, however, Drops are coordinated with contacts on the islands beforehand. When it comes to dropping the gifts, Garrucho and the rest of the air crew use their eyes to make sure the drop zone is clear. Unlike an ordinary drop, they make at least one pass over every drop zone before releasing any bundles.

According to Garrucho, the rapidly-shifting weather in the Pacific Islands in another unique challenge that he must deal with during OCD. Gusty winds blow over the open oceans unimpeded. Clouds move quickly, and blue skies may turn to chaotic thunderstorms and back within minutes.

The unique island conditions mean that the crew have to be extra vigilant and use the teamwork that missions like OCD help to sharpen.

“We’re really good at staying on top of everything,” Garrucho said. “That’s what we train for.”

After his first OCD flight, Garrucho called the day’s mission a success. The routes were similar to other exercises, Garrucho said, but this one was special because it had the spirit of Christmas.

“We’re all pumped to deliver more gifts,” Garrucho said. “You get a sense of accomplishment from making sure these drops get to the islands and the people, who have been waiting for them all year long.”

While flight engineers are moving on to new horizons, Yokota is looking forward to embracing the new J-model aircraft for future OCD missions.

Though flight engineers and their decades of contributions to OCD will be missed, their legacy and contributions will have a lasting impact on operations for years to come.