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Operation Dumbo: Tactical flyaway

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron sit on the flightline on Jan. 24, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. The four aircraft transported heavy-duty airdrop platforms, container delivery systems and more than 100 Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station to conduct tactical training exercises to ensure Airmen are current in their Air Force specialty codes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Senior Airman Micaiah Walker, a loadmaster assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron, prepares a C-130H Hercules aircraft for flight on Jan. 24, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Loadmasters head out to the aircraft prior to takeoff to ensure the aircraft is properly configured for the cargo and or passengers that will be on board during the flight. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Airmen assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron and 76th Aerial Port Squadron load a heavy-duty airdrop platform on a C-130H Hercules aircraft on Jan. 24, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. More than 100 Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station traveled to Florida to conduct tactical training missions over a span of six days to ensure Airmen are current in their Air Force specialty codes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Capt. David Post, a navigator with the 757th Airlift Squadron, points to a specific area on a map on Jan. 25, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Post was instructing his fellow aircrew members on the flight plan for a tactical training mission that was set to take place. As a navigator, Post is required to do pre-flight briefs to ensure all aircrew members are aware of the flight plan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Pilots and navigators assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron carry their equipment to a C-130H Hercules aircraft on Jan. 25, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. The Airmen were set to conduct tactical airdrop training exercises to ensure all aircrew members are current in their Air Force specialty codes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Maj. Ryan Gray, a flight commander assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron, briefs his fellow aircrew members on Jan. 24, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Gray was briefing aircrew members on the specific flight plan they would be following during a tactical airdrop training exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Capt. Keith Holcomb, a pilot assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron, taxis a C-130H Hercules aircraft along the flightline prior to takeoff on Jan. 25, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Three aircraft assigned to the 757th AS flew in a three-aircraft formation to conduct tactical airdrop training exercises. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Senior Airman Jennifer Feathers, a flight engineer assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron, turns to ask a question in the flight deck of a C-130H Hercules aircraft prior to takeoff on Jan. 25, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Feathers directed her question to Senior Master Sgt. Jonathan Merckens who is a tactics flight engineer assigned to the 757th AS. Both Feathers and Merckens were part of a seven-person aircrew that flew in a three-aircraft formation to conduct tactical airdrop training exercises. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

A Container Delivery System slides out the back of a C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron on Jan. 24, 2020, over the Jacksonville, Florida area. Along with a CDS, the aircraft dropped a heavy-duty airdrop platform during a tactical airdrop exercise conducted by aircrews assigned to the 757th AS to remain current and qualified in their Air Force specialty code. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.
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Senior Airman Brooke Parfaite, a loadmaster assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron, looks out the back of a C-130H Hercules aircraft during a flight over the Jacksonville, Florida area on Jan. 24, 2020. Three aircraft flew in formation to conduct tactical airdrop training exercises. Each aircraft was equipped with a heavy-duty airdrop platform and a container delivery system. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.
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Aircrew members assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron walk toward base operations on Jan. 24, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Airmen had just completed a three-aircraft formation flight where tactical airdrop training exercises took place. Each aircraft was equipped with a heavy-duty airdrop platform and a container delivery system. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.
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A C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron sits on the flightline on Jan.24, 2020, at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Four aircraft assigned to the 757th AS transported heavy-duty airdrop platforms, container delivery systems, and more than 100 Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station to conduct tactical training exercises to ensure Airmen are current in their Air Force specialty codes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Russo)

JACKSONVILLE, Florida --

More than 100 Reserve Citizen Airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and four C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron traveled to Jacksonville JetPort at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 21-26, to carry out Operation Dumbo.

Operation Dumbo was a tactical flyaway training mission designed to provide aircrews from the 757th AS the opportunity to complete necessary training in order to remain combat-ready. During the months of January and February, many sorties get canceled due to weather conditions at YARS. To compensate for the high attrition rate during those months, aircrews from the 757th AS travel to warmer climates to fulfill their training requirements.

“The weather here (YARS) in the winter months is terrible and not conducive to flying,” said Capt. Michael Sammartino, an assistant flight commander assigned to the 757th AS. “So we take four aircraft to Florida where the weather is good and we do the flying there in order to get all our semi-annual and monthly requirements fulfilled.”

For Chief Master Sgt. Chris Marino, chief loadmaster assigned to the 757th AS, this trip allowed him to observe his loadmasters to ensure they are current and qualified to fly.

“Each loadmaster has to conduct check rides every so often in order to stay current,” said Marino. “For me, that means I take a step back and assess my loads (loadmasters) completing their checklists prior, during and after flight. It’s a learning tool for all of us to make sure we are following the necessary rules while aboard the aircraft.”

Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 76th Aerial Port Squadron and 910th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron also accompanied aircrews down to Jacksonville, Florida.

During the six-day mission, members from the 76th APS prepared and transported heavy-duty airdrop platforms and container delivery systems to each aircraft, retrieved extracted cargo from the drop zone, palletized luggage and more. Members from the 910th AMXS were responsible for all flightline and on-board equipment maintenance for all four C-130H Hercules aircraft during the mission.

Much like other missions, Operation Dumbo provides much more than just training. It provides Airmen the opportunity to interact with individuals from the installation that they might not have the chance to on a day-to-day basis.

Operation Dumbo is just one example of how YARS is doing its part to ensure their Reserve Citizen Airmen are “combat ready now…for tomorrow’s fight.”