Mildenhall takes in Incirlik airmen during renovation

Members of the 21st Airlift Squadron arrive at RAF Mildenhall from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., in one of the eight C-17 Globemasters their mission revolves around. (Charlie Reed / S&S)

Airmen and British Ministry of Defence workers push a pallet of cargo onto a massive C-17 Globemaster at RAF Mildenhall. The pallets slide on a system of rollers on the aircraft’s floorboard and are locked into place before takeoff. (Charlie Reed / S&S)

A British Ministry of Defence worker pushes a pallet of cargo onto a C-17 at RAF Mildenhall. (Charlie Reed / S&S)

RAF MILDENHALL — The C-17 Globemaster first appears on the horizon as a black dot.

But as it descends and nears the runway, its massive frame seems to hang motionless in the sky for the few seconds before landing.

The optical illusion will be commonplace during the next two months with the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron temporarily operating from Mildenhall while the runway at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, is closed for repairs.

All told, about 240 airmen and eight C-17s are here until the end of April, when Incirlik's 10,000-foot runway is scheduled to re-open.

Only three or four C-17s are on the ground at a time, given their constant deliveries of cargo downrange. Each can carry a maximum payload of 170,900 pounds. A steady stream of Boeing 747s will add to the traffic, bringing supplies from the States that eventually make it onto the C-17s.

While “it’s a much bigger workload, we’re happy to have the mission,” said Lt. Col. Seaborn Whatley, commander of the Mildenhall-based 727th Air Mobility Squadron. “It will be exciting to be a little busier.”

To help, some of the visiting airmen include support personnel from Incirlik’s 728th Air Mobility Squadron. Together, they are handling the command-and-control functions for the C-17s along with fleeting and loading duties.

“Over the years we’ve had an airlift presence here,” said Lt. Col. Steve Hart, special assistant to Mildenhall’s 100th Air Refueling Wing commander. “We have the framework in place to support that kind of operation. So all we did was enhance our capability by bringing up some folks from Incirlik to make sure we can support the volume of cargo that’s coming through there.”

Mildenhall can easily accommodate the extra aircraft, cargo and personnel from Incirlik but there is no way to get around the four hours of extra time needed to fly between the U.K. base and bases downrange. That means the jets are flying only between four and five missions per day from Mildenhall, while at Incirlik they typically would make between seven and nine runs.

“There’s just no way we could have kept up,” said Lt. Col. Bill Spangenthal, squadron commander of the 817th — known as the 21st Airlift Squadron “Bee Liners” — before deploying from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The 817th consists of deployed units that rotate into Incirlik for four months at a time.

But the lag time is all the more reason to ensure the aircraft stay in flight as much as possible, Spangenthal said.

“When a jet lands, the goal is to turn it as quick as possible. It’s basically a wasted resource when it’s on the ground,” he said.

It takes four hours to get a C-17 back in the air after landing at Mildenhall. Once it’s downrange, it can be loaded and unloaded, with its engines running, and back in the skies within about an hour and 15 minutes, he said.

Meanwhile, many of the visiting airmen are experiencing their first deployment, which they will finish in Turkey.

“All these places are new to them, so they’re all excited,” Spangenthal said. “It’s going to be a great seasoning for our young crew force.”

Quick facts

C-17 GLOBEMASTER

Function: Troop and cargo transport

Wing span: 169 feet, 10 inches

Height: 55 feet, 1 inch

Length: 174 feet

Range: Global with in-flight refueling

Cost: $202 million

Inventory: Active duty — 134; Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve — 16

Contractor: Boeing Company