46th Aerial Port Squadron moves into new, improved home

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Andria J. Allmond
  • 512th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The 46th Aerial Port Squadron moved into the new aerial port facility Oct. 19, exiting the building that was their home for more than 20 years. 

The former APS building, which was originally constructed to serve as a storage facility, was not designed to handle the needs of the Reserve and active-duty aerial port squadrons. 

January 2003, the roof of the former aerial port facility collapsed and with it a history of aerial porters who had learned to adapt to the obstacles posed by the old and ill-suited structure. 

"This building made me an aerial porter," said Chief Master Sgt. Clinton Foster, 46th APS air operations flight supervisor. "It's like leaving our mother. Some people just fit the old building -- a little rough around the edges, dark and grimy but things got done."
The new building is adjacent to the former, which is now slated to become an extension of the parking lot and an outside cargo area. 

Although the move to the new building may have been accelerated by the structural flaws of the old building, the change offers aerial porters a technological upgrade, said Chief Foster. 

The new facility comes equipped with a computer program which performs the physical labor of pulling the objects from the load plan and depositing it on the dock. This system can read the load plan that is supplied by the aerial porter, prepare the load and deliver it to the dock, said Chief Foster. 

"The technology does in 20 minutes what used to take an hour to accomplish," he added. "This upgrade follows the Air Force pattern of streamlining operations." 

Another 46th APS member said the new building also brings increased morale. 

"We have more space, our own space, and there are training rooms available," said Chief Master Sgt. Donna Lehman. "Plus, having rooms with windows is an improvement. Change is good, and this is a nice, new change for us." 

The design of the new building was not only intended for the needs of the aerial port squadron that is currently moving in. It was also designed to meet the needs of future Airmen, and to secure the base's position as one of the premiere training locations for Reserve air transportation specialists, said Lt. Col. Gregory Murray, 46th APS commander and member of the design team. 

"The building is designed with an open floor plan with minimal obstruction," he added. "As the work load or complexity of operations change, we will be able to use the facility differently to achieve an evolving mission. We made sure we had maximum flexibility; we don't know what cargo will be like in 20 years." 

Even with the excitement of the new technology, there are still those like Chief Foster who will never forget where they came from. 

"This is bittersweet," he said. "We spent so much time getting ready to move and moving our stuff; I realized you don't think about what you're leaving -- until it's already left behind."