“Trust me, I have been doing this
for 15 years and that’s not going to work.” This was the loadmaster’s response to
my plan for loading an aircraft engine onto a C-130. I was a technical
instructor and aircraft services supervisor for the Royal Saudi Air Force in
2009, and my team had been sitting out in the 130 degree heat for an hour
waiting for the loadmaster to approve our request. The way that the loadmaster
wanted to load the engine was not working, and after crunching some numbers and
re-visiting regulations I had figured out a way that I thought would work. The
loadmaster was skeptical of trying my method because I was young and I didn’t
look like I knew what I was doing because of my age.
I sat down with him and explained
how I came up with my method and why it would work. He was still a bit nervous
about it, and the language barrier did not help the situation, but after he
consulted the pilots and flight engineer he gave me the nod of approval. My
team set up some wood by the ramp to create shoring for the engine to roll up
while being pulled by the aircraft winch. We then tied a secure chain to the
engine and connected it to the winch and tightened the winch just enough to
start pulling. I placed 2 spotters by the ramp to ensure that the engine would
not hit the ground while going up the ramp. The engine made it half-way up the
ramp when we had to adjust the shoring to account for the length of the engine
and the proximity to the ground and top of the aircraft ramp opening. We
adjusted the shoring a few more times but the engine eventually made it safely
up the ramp and onto the aircraft.
After the engine was secured to
the aircraft floor, the loadmaster thanked me for my expertise and my
confidence. He said that my knowledge was unexpected but appreciated. I believe
that this moment was very significant in my development. My team seemed to
trust and respect me a little bit more after this event, and it gave me the
confidence I needed to challenge others and trust my knowledge and experience.
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