Airfield operators, maintainers and air transportation specialists at Hamid Karzai International Airport, August 2021

Air transportation specialists are members of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

and responsible for inspecting, documenting, packaging, loading and unloading

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

on aircraft.

Job description

The duties of an Air transportation specialist include: * inspecting cargo and mail offered for airlift to verify eligibility and proper documentation, packaging, and marking, * determining quantity and type of cargo to be loaded according to allowable aircraft cabin load, * selecting and palletizing loads, * coordinating with air transportation clearance authority on diversion of cargo, * loading and unloading

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

using materials handling and loading equipment, * checking cargo against manifests, * annotating overage, shortage, or damage, * preparing and maintaining forms for passenger travel, * preparing weight and balance records, * requisitioning, storing, and issuing expendable and nonexpendable items for use on aircraft, * reviewing travel authorizations for validity and accuracy and checking in passengers and baggage.

External links and references

Air Force Specialty Book

Air Force Reserve article
{{USAF-stub United States Air Force specialisms