forth] require crew members from
di erent squadrons to y together.
This is known as a ‘rainbow’ crew due
to the di erent colors of the squadron
patches. There are no designated ‘hard’
crews within same squadron. We also
maintain an ‘alert’ posture so that we
can take o within a speci ed amount
of time after noti cation for any mission.
Based on the mission requirements,
available aircraft and the maintenance
requirements of those aircraft, we can
regenerate a particular aircraft for a
follow-on mission within a few hours to
a few days.’
Asked how long it takes to ramp up
to combat ops, the experienced public
a airs o cer for Charleston gave a wrysmile and said: ‘We’ve been ramped up
for 15 years...’
The teamwork involved in keeping
the wing at full pace is never more
evident than prior to a launch or just
after a recovery, with a plethora of
personnel and various bespoke vehicles
swarming around a jet. The 437th Aerial
Port Squadron provides oversight of all
cargo on- and o oad and a logistics
readiness squadron fuels and transport
personnel — ight crew and passengers
— from various locations to and from
the aircraft.
The Charleston infrastructure
contains the capability to perform both
intermediate and some depot-level
maintenance, through the embeddedRELIEF
MISSIONS
The 437th AW swung into action
in the wake of Hurricanes ‘Irma’
and ‘Maria’ in September 2017, as
well as supporting the hunt for the
missing Argentine Navy submarine in
November.
A C-17 from the wing was the last
aircraft to leave MacDill AFB, Florida,
ahead of the hurricane hitting on
September 8, and was the rst to
land back in after it had passed
on September 11, bringing a crisis
response team to Homestead ARB.
Loadmaster SSgt Drew Gayhart
commented, ‘It’s awesome because
you’re part of the team ying into the
storm to get the last few people and
bring them to safety. Then, only a few
days later, you turn around and bring
them right back in to x the problem.’
The wing also delivered supplies
to St Croix, in the Virgin Islands.
‘When we left before the hurricane
everything was green and lush
and beautiful,’ said SSgt Andrew
Manca. ‘When we came back it was
completely di erent. Everything was
brown, trees and telephone poles
were at. Houses had their roofs
blown o .’ Flt Lt Matt Jenkinson, an
RAF exchange pilot with the 14th
AS added, ‘We’ve taken in supplies
to help ease people’s pain and make
their life a bit more comfortable. I
feel very privileged to play a part in
the relief operations responding to
Hurricanes ‘Irma’ and ‘Maria’.
The 437th joined the search for
missing Argentine submarine ARA
San Juan in late November. Air
Mobility Command deployed six
C-17 Globemaster IIIs and three C-5M
Super Galaxies. Those aircraft ew
17 sorties, loaded 76 sailors assigned
to Undersea Rescue Command, and
764,000lb of equipment.Above: One of the
vast maintenance
hangars at
Charleston.
Below: Prepping
a C-17 for a night
departure from
Charleston. This
truly is a ‘24/7’
operation at the
base that never
sleeps.42 April 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
UNIT REPORT // 437 TH AIRLIFT WING
38-45 Charleston's global lifters C.indd 42 15/02/2018 12:48