HomeNewsArticle Display

Wyoming C-130 Airmen train Montana counterparts

By Senior Master Sgt. Eric Peterson, 120th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published February 24, 2014

A member of the Wyoming Air National Guard manually opens the cargo door of a C-130 to unload a truck in preparation for aerial port training Feb. 8, 2014 at the 120th Fighter Wing. National Guard photo/2nd Lt. Robin Jirovsky.
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 1 of 3

A member of the Wyoming Air National Guard manually opens the cargo door of a C-130 to unload a truck in preparation for aerial port training Feb. 8, 2014 at the 120th Fighter Wing. National Guard photo/2nd Lt. Robin Jirovsky.

Members of the Wyoming Air National Guard set the ramps to unload a truck from a C-130 at the 120th Fighter Wing Feb. 8, 2014. National Guard photo/2nd Lt. Robin Jirovsky.
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 2 of 3

Members of the Wyoming Air National Guard set the ramps to unload a truck from a C-130 at the 120th Fighter Wing Feb. 8, 2014. National Guard photo/2nd Lt. Robin Jirovsky.

Wyoming Air National Guard members unload a truck at the 120th Fighter Wing Feb. 8, 2014 in preparation for aerial port training during the drill weekend. National Guard photo/2nd Lt. Robin Jirovsky.
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 3 of 3

Wyoming Air National Guard members unload a truck at the 120th Fighter Wing Feb. 8, 2014 in preparation for aerial port training during the drill weekend. National Guard photo/2nd Lt. Robin Jirovsky.

PRINT | E-MAIL
Great Falls, Mont. -- A C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and its crew of four assigned to the153rd Airlift Wing of the Wyoming Air National Guard participated in the February unit training assembly at the 120th Fighter Wing.

The Wyoming Guardsmen flew to the base located at the Great Falls International Airport to help train their Montana counterparts in the procedures of off-loading and loading cargo into the transport aircraft.

The Montana unit is currently undergoing a mission conversion to C-130s from the F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft. The 120 FW is scheduled to receive its first aircraft in March.

According to the 153rd Airlift Wing official web page, the unit has been flying transport aircraft since 1961 and has been assigned the C-130 airframe since 1972. The fifty-three years of airlift experience the Wyoming unit has accumulated is a valuable commodity to tap for the Montanans as they continue on in the conversion process.

Master Sgt. Randy Patrick, an Air Transportation Specialist from Wyoming, made the trip to Montana to share his knowledge and experience with the newly-selected "aerial porters" of the 120 FW.

"We're getting them (Montanans) familiar with the planes" said Patrick. "They're all super-smart, they all come from different career fields and I'm sure they can handle it. We're going to teach them to do a totally different job, coming from a fighter mission to a cargo mission."

Senior Master Sgt. Teresa Parker is the new Aerial Port Supervisor for the Montana unit. She appreciated the hands-on training that the experienced Wyoming Airmen provided.

"Almost everybody is moving into a new career field," Parker said. "I'm actually a supply troop and I'm cross-training into the aerial port terminal.

Parker said that the Wyoming Airmen covered the different heights and weights allowed on the aircraft, how to build parachutes and associated rigging duties, and the paperwork that goes with the job.

"It's been a huge advantage having them, and in the two days that the Wyoming guys have been here I've learned a ton of what I need to for the aerial port terminal," said Parker. "The most important aspects of our job essentially, is what they're helping us out with."

Parker sees a lot of similarity in the flying requirements dictated by the geography of each location. Both bases in Cheyenne, Wyo. and Great Falls, Mont. are located at civilian airports and sit on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. C-130 crews will train to operate in the high winds often experienced at these airports.

Patrick looks forward to building upon the Wyoming-Montana relationship and developing a network of individuals between the states willing to share their education and experience.

"Guard units are family, that's just what it is," said Patrick. I come up here and they treat me like one of their own. We would do the same to them. Anytime they need training or anything we can do to help them out, I'm sure we would go out of our way to do it. Anytime we would need help, I'm sure they would do the same for us."
USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.