76th AS provides first-class service

When someone says the words airlift squadron, flight attendants do not automatically come to mind. But here at the 76th Airlift Squadron, flight attendants play an important part of the squadron’s operational support airlift mission.

“Flight attendants put a lot of hard work into their missions,” said Capt. Liz Duca, a 76th AS pilot. “They have to maintain a level of excellence, and they do a wonderful job of that here.”

Part of the operational support airlift mission at the 76th includes supporting congressional delegation members, combatant commanders and active-duty distinguished visitors from every branch of service by helping them maintain relations between the United States and foreign counterparts.

This is where pilots and flight attendants from the 76th AS come in. Pilots of the 76th fly distinguished visitors throughout Europe, the AOR and Africa, getting them to their destinations as efficiently as possible. Flight attendants ensure the safety and comfort of passengers while on board the aircraft.

“Our main job is safety on the aircraft – to egress passengers and make sure they’re safe,” said Staff Sgt. Joe Martin, 76th AS flight attendant. “Egress is evacuating people off the aircraft. If the jet crashes, we’re there to open doors and get people off the aircraft as quickly as we can. That’s our main purpose – safety.”

Another aspect of the flight attendants’ job is cooking and providing comfort for the passengers.

“We’re pretty much a first-class service all the way,” Sergeant Martin said.

This first-class service begins with preparations for meal plans. Before each mission, attendants contact their passengers’ representatives with a list of menu items to choose from. Once the passenger has chosen a meal or meals to their liking, flight attendants buy all the items needed and bring them back to their work center here, also known as the Center of Service Excellence building, to begin food preparations.

“We bring back all the items and store them in our refrigerators and freezers at the CSE,” said Staff Sgt. Bianca Martin. “We’ll wash the vegetables and marinate any meat the day before. We try to do as much as we can before the flight so there’s less we have to do on the flight. This way we can focus on the passengers.”

The day of the mission, attendants will load all the refrigerated items into coolers and all the frozen items into a container they’ve dubbed the “gray ghost,” as it is a large gray container they put dry ice into. After that is completed, everything is loaded onto the aircraft to be later cooked and served to passengers.

Though it is a lot of work, the job certainly has its rewards.

“The fun part is cooking for those who like to cook. For those that like interaction, it’s serving the passengers and talking with them,” Sergeant Joe Martin said. “The travel is awesome as well. I can’t put it into words. It’s unique because of who we fly and their assignments. We get to see the world.”

To be a flight attendant, Sergeant Bianca Martin and the 14 other flight attendants assigned to the 76th AS had to go through the Enlisted Aviator Undergraduate Course at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

“Our initial training is in Texas; we do a flight program,” said Sergeant Joe Martin, a former F-15 Eagle crew chief. “That’s the first step to make sure we’re capable of being a flyer.”

After the course is completed, they then attend the Flight Attendant Culinary and Egress Training School, also at Lackland, to learn how to cook and prepare food and how to egress people and emergency equipment on the aircraft.

Flight attendants also attend combat and water survival training, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. This is also the same survival training all Air Force aircrew members receive. The 76th AS flight attendants average about two missions per month on the squadron’s C-40 and C-20 aircraft, which can last anywhere from three to eight days, Sergeant Joe Martin said.

“I like the schedule and being able to fly and still be at home with family,” he said. “Also, you don’t know what to expect. Cooking a new dish and flying with DVs you’ve never flown with before is fun. That’s the unique part. We’re face-to-face with passengers, serving and talking to them.”

As part of their operational support airlift mission, 76th AS members also work hand-in-hand with the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, providing evacuation support when needed.