Loadmaster crashworthy seat aims to increase safety

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jarrod Grammel
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  While loadmasters are flying long and sometimes dangerous missions, engineers are working to improve the conditions they fly in. The latest improvement comes in the form of a new seat that offers higher survivability in the event of a crash.

Moody Air Force Base, Ga., is the first base in Air Combat Command to trial install the new loadmaster crashworthy seat. The seat will replace the existing seat with a safer and more structurally sound one.

"The goal is to provide loadmasters with a more secure seat," said Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Melady, Air Combat Command HC-130 weapon systems team superintendent.

Civilian and military engineers have already started the process of designing the new seat and installing it in one of Moody's HC-130P Combat Kings which is currently docked for routine maintenance.

"What they're doing now is a trial install," said Tim Martin, 23rd Maintenance Group Air Force Engineer Technical Services. "Once the design has been perfected and we determine whether it functions the way we want, we plan to install the seat in the rest of the HC-130P fleet."

Even though the C-130 aircraft have been in service since 1955, the loadmaster crashworthy seat is long overdue.

"Loadmasters have been asking for it for years, and now we are finally able to give it to them," Sergeant Melady said. "This will be a huge improvement for them and will increase the safety of their job."

The seat that is in service now is a sturdy foam pad attached to two metal bars that are connected near the hatch of the plane.

"The new crashworthy seat has a built-in harness support system and is structurally attached to the frame of the plane," Mr. Martin said. "This new design will offer a safer, more secure seat for loadmasters to scan for threats and observe aerial refueling."

When designing this seat, the loadmaster and crew weren't the only people in mind.

"We also wanted to make the seat maintenance-friendly," Mr. Martin said. "When designing something like this, engineers usually just find out what is needed and how to install it in the aircraft. With this project we wanted to design a seat that can be maintained efficiently."

Moody was selected to be the test base because of its C-130 fleet and its proximity to the contractors and engineers.

The Air Force is always looking for ways to improve the safety and effectiveness of its Airmen and the new loadmaster crashworthy seat will be one more tool that will help those Airmen complete the Air Force's mission worldwide.