Staff planning key to delivery of fire truck Published Oct. 14, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Grant Saylor & Sandra Pishner 446th Airlift Wing MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Driving the fire truck down the ramp of a McChord C-17, the driver kicked on the full complement of lights and sirens to the delight of the waiting townspeople of Ayutla, Mexico. It took three-hours for the townspeople to drive to Guadalajara to see the delivery of this donated fire truck; it took two years and a lot of behind the scenes work for the delivery to take place. The 446th Operations Support Flight staff put in a lot of hard work to coordinate the mission, said Maj. Ben Morley, 446th OSF director of current operations. The staff began planning for the mission in March. Planning began with a request for transportation under the Denton Amendment program, which allows free transport of non-government relief supplies earmarked for humanitarian assistance. Among other responsibilities, Major Morley's staff and the Denton staff at Charleston AFB, S.C., had to secure diplomatic clearances for crewmembers and cargo, and had to get equipment donors validated through Air Mobility Command. "There are only a few OG shops that can take on a mission this complicated," said Loretta Lawton, 446th OSF deputy director of current operations. "If we didn't know what we were doing, the cargo never would have made it there." People at the Denton Program were also happy to help coordinate a complex humanitarian airlift. "I've been doing this for nine years," said Mike McAvoy, Denton Program traffic manager at Charleston AFB. "Any time people are in dire need, it's very rewarding to see that Americans can get them equipment like this." The competence and planning of the 446th OG staff also made it possible to maximize training for crewmembers that required it. "We try to merge the aircrew and their training requirements with the cargo and the mission," said Major Morley. "We're sort of like e-Harmony for aircraft!" No U.S. Air Force aircraft had flown to Guadalajara in more than two years, so pilot preparation for this mission required special terrain review and simulator time, according to Lt. Col. Blake Pierson, 728th AS and co-pilot on the mission. "There's high terrain all around so we practiced approaches and departures, and simulated an engine loss," he said. Colonel Pierson proved an ideal candidate to fly this mission since he routinely flies to Guadalajara in his civilian job as a Boeing 737 pilot for Alaska Airlines. That's one of the reasons the mission went off without a hitch, said Major Morley. Along with the fire truck, other emergency equipment and supplies were delivered to the village of Ayutla in Mexico's Jalisco state. "I think I can speak for the whole crew when I say humanitarian missions are one of the more rewarding things we can do," said Colonel Pierson. Indeed, other members of the crew said they felt privileged to be a part of delivering hope to our neighbors south of the border. "Any time your actions can help others and reflect positively on the U.S. Air Force and our country, it's a worthwhile endeavor," said Master Sgt. Scott Terra, 728th AS loadmaster. "These types of missions really speak to the greatness and philanthropy of our nation."