Loadmaster surpasses 10,000 hours

Published April 9, 2007
By Senior Airman Erik Hofmeyer
379th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- An 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron loadmaster now wears a badge of distinction that very few loadmasters receive throughout their careers - an Air Mobility Command custom patch displaying the number 10,000.

After 25 years of service, Master Sgt. Joseph Maxey surpassed 10,000 flying hours Tuesday during an airlift mission to Afghanistan.

He thought he'd hit the mark on an April 1 mission, but he came up 18 minutes short of the milestone.

"I was like 'ah, shoot, thought I had it.' Then I had to wait a couple of days for another mission to Afghanistan delivering Humvee armor kits and other cargo," Sergeant Maxey said.

"A whole bunch of guys were waiting to douse me with water when I got back," he said. "I took off running and made them chase after me, but they soaked me from head to toe."

The Cambridge, England native became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of five, and enlisted in the Air Force in 1982 as a C-141 Starlifter loadmaster.

The veteran loadmaster is a bundle of energy as he darts around the aircraft working and evaluating the most efficient way to load and arrange cargo in the back of the C-17 Globemaster.

He doesn't stop thinking or moving full speed until the job is done, which inspired a friend to give the nickname "Jammin' Joe," because he claimed to have never seen anybody perform preflight inspections and loading at the same speed as Sergeant Maxey.

"I've always loved airplanes, and wanted to work on one, so I came in to be a loadmaster," he said.

Sergeant Maxey transferred to Air Mobility Command's first C-17 squadron at Charleston AFB, S.C. in 1991, and he's worked with C-17s ever since. All of his knowledge and experience is a valuable asset to the squadron, and he's passing it on through his mentorship of newly certified loadmasters.

"We've got quite a few young Airmen here and I've been working with a few of them," he said. "We teach how to anticipate, react and plan how they're going to work the airplane."
Sergeant Maxey remains productive in the midst of long flights by going over quality assurance, the day's mission or thoroughly covering the many intricacies of being a loadmaster.

"If you just show up and wait for something to happen you're going to be behind the timeline the whole way. We try to get them to think ahead, and how they can make it easier. If you're on a timeline, you've got to hustle to get it done," he said.
Sergeant Maxey's 10,000-hour milestone is becoming increasingly difficult for loadmasters to accomplish.

"It seemed quite common place to see aircrew with 10,000, even 15,000 hour patches when I first began flying back in 1989," said Lt. Col. Joseph Heirigs, 816th EAS director of operations. "As years have gone by, it's become very rare to find someone whose reached these goals."

"Achieving 10,000 hours in a career is a huge accomplishment and the hallmark of a career in aviation," Colonel Heirigs said. "It's a significant accomplishment for him, the 15th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C., and the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron are proud to call him one of our own."