Hi, my name's B. K. Taylor, and I'm a member of the flight crew on a C-130 aircraft in the 52nd squadron at Moody Air Force Base (AFB) outside of Valdosta, Georgia. The C-130 is what's known as a "heavy," a cargo plane used by the Air Force to deliver supplies or people to drop zones. I'm a flight engineer on the aircraft. Unfortunately, the job of a flight engineer is slowly going away. Let me tell you about it.

On a crew aircraft like the C-130, you have several members, each with his or her own job to do. On our plane, the C-130, a four-engine, turbo-prop, high wing, cargo aircraft, you have the pilot, the co-pilot, the navigator, the flight engineer, and the loadmaster. A typical "mission day" for us might look like the following schedule. We will report to the squadron 2 hours and 15 minutes before take-off. After a briefing with the whole flight crew, going over the mission, safety items, and emergency procedures, the officers go off to do the flight planning, while I go out to the plane and start the pre-flight procedures. I monitor all of the systems on board the aircraft, and it's my job to check them all out before we fly. This takes about an hour, and since we are flying some of the oldest planes in the Air Force, I usually find something that needs to be fixed. If it can't be fixed easily, then they roll out another plane, and I start the pre-flight all over for that plane!

After I pre-flight the aircraft, I need to do the TOLD, or TakeOff and Landing Data calculations. I need to know the route we're taking, so that I can estimate the performance of the aircraft. I need to know the length of the runways, so I can determine the fuel needs for the mission. I take into account the altitude we fly at, the route, and the needs of the mission to figure the performance and fuel requirements for our flight. I also run a set of calculations for emergency situations, such as losing an engine. While we are usually not flying in a combat situation, we practice as if we are, so I also need to be thinking about escape and evasion possibilities as we travel. Most of these calculations are done using charts and data tables, but I need to use my problem solving skills to keep them all straight.

During the flight, I perform multiple tasks at the same time. I monitor all the systems on the aircraft, such as the engines, the hydraulics, power systems, and radios. I pay attention to what the pilots are doing, to see that we are following the mission profiles, and I run the tactical checklist. I also work with the pilots if there is a problem by recommending procedures to correct any malfunctions that may come up during the flight. I also help out when needed. When you're on a crew-run aircraft like this one, you tend to learn each other's positions and jobs, and you provide back-up relief in case someone needs help.

After the flight, I report on the performance of the aircraft. I'm in the position to notice trends in the systems that may lead to problems later, and I report those to maintenance for checking. I also participate in the debrief after everyone is down.

So that's a typical "mission day" in the C-130. Remember, sometimes the "day" doesn't start until 3 pm, so the debrief could be somewhere around 11 pm or 12 midnight! I really like my job, and I plan to stay in it as long as I can, but the position of flight engineer is slowly going away. We're being phased out by computers. The newer airplanes such as the C-17 and the updated C-130J are designed to run without FE's, or flight engineers. I don't know how long the job will stay available. If I had to do it all over, I think I would have gone to college and become a pilot.

Let me tell you how I became a flight engineer. I grew up as an army brat; my dad was a supply sergeant. We ended up in Kingsport, Tennessee, where I graduated from high school. I was very focused on my school work, although I did get active in track my senior year in high school. I hung around with other army brats. My background and my dad influenced me to join the military through the Air Force. I thought about going to college, but I was intimidated by the thought of all the writing I would have to do there. There wasn't a lot of support from my family, and I didn't have any immediate family members in college to ask them about it, so I didn't go.

You don't start out as a flight engineer in the Air Force; you get to go to FE school after you have gained some experience with airplanes, usually in maintenance. Most FE's have been in either aircraft maintenance or missile maintenance before they go to FE school. I started out as a crew chief in maintenance, on the ground. It was my job to oversee the maintenance crews, interact with the specialists, and provide the interface, or liaison, with the flight crews. I attended crew chief school at Sheppard AFB in Texas and F-16 crew chief school at MacDill AFB in Florida. My first assignment was to Kunsan AFB, Korea! We did a lot of temporary duty, or TDY, in the Philippines, where I met some C-141 FE's who told me a lot about their work. I've always wanted to fly, so I was always asking people about their jobs. They told me they were gone from their families a lot, so the job didn't sound so attractive then. When I was stationed at Luke AFB, in Arizona, I met another FE, TSgt Hencke, who really made the position sound good. So I applied and was accepted into flight engineer school.

To be a flight engineer, you have to train just like the pilots and other aircrew members. My first classes were for survival training at Fairchild AFB in Washington. Then I went for general FE training at Altus AFB in Oklahoma for 7 weeks, followed by C-130 training at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. I enjoy every day of my work. We do a lot of humanitarian missions, dropping off cargo and supplies to those who need it. I am also excited about my next assignment; I will be a flight engineer on-board the E-8 JSTAR aircraft. It's a modified Boeing 707 and it's used for battlefield and ground surveillance. I'll be moving up the freeway here in Georgia to Warner-Robbins AFB, just south of Atlanta.

I would highly recommend this career to another person, for as long as the flight engineer position is available. I love it! But I would have to be honest and say that someone interested in flying should consider going to college and becoming a pilot. I plan to go back to school and get a degree, and someday I WILL be a pilot!

Questions for B.K.: