 early phases of a conflict, rapid response can prevent escalation into an all-out war. In such an emergency, additional airlift resources may be needed to combine with those of the active duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and the Air National Guard. Kraft, the civil reserve air fleet, is committed to provide these resources, founded on an agreement between U.S. airlines and the U.S. government. The use of U.S. civil airline resources is not unique to this day and time. Prior to and during World War II, the Army's Air Transport Command contracted with civilian air carriers to support a worldwide transportation effort. In 1948, the need for civilian resources was again highlighted by the Berlin Airlift. During this international crisis, the city of Berlin was virtually cut off from food and supplies. When all available U.S. military transports were pulled from routine missions to support Berlin, the Department of Defense found it necessary to bring in civil airlines. They provided routine support to our other bases around the world. One year later, the demands of the Korean War emphasized again the need for civilian support to meet air transportation requirements. In 1951, as a result of these experiences, the President issued an executive order which charged the government with the responsibility for developing a plan for the use of civil air carrier resources to meet emergency defense needs. Shortly thereafter, a joint agreement was reached between U.S. airlines and the U.S. government. Resources of the commercial air carriers were to be made available to the Air Force in the event of a national emergency. In 1952, the civil reserve air fleet was organized. Composed of both air carriers and their support personnel, its purpose was to establish a partnership between the civilian air transportation industry and the military. Today, the civil reserve air fleet consists of more than 400 aircraft and thousands of support personnel organized into four operational segments. International long range, international short range, domestic, and Alaskan. The international long range fleet is made up of aircraft capable of trans-Oceanic operations. This fleet will augment military aircraft when an emergency arises. The international short range fleet consists of both cargo aircraft and medium range passenger aircraft, which can be converted to cargo aircraft to augment airlift forces. The domestic fleet includes short and medium range cargo aircraft which provide logistic support for the Air Force and the Navy in the continental United States. The aircraft of the Alaskan fleet provide airlift in support of the Alaskan Air Command and the distant early warning line of the North American Air Defense Command. The craft airlift capability can be activated in three stages. Stage one is an expansion of airlift capability whereby civilian aircraft can be used to perform additional airlift services, which the Mac Airlift Force cannot meet. It is activated by the Commander in Chief of Mac. Stage two is an additional airlift expansion identified for an airlift emergency, not warranting national mobilization. It is authorized by the Secretary of Defense. Stage three can be activated only after a national emergency has been declared, normally by the President or Congress. This action results in the total craft airlift capability being made available during major emergencies. Stage three will result in approximately 300 international long range civilian aircraft being made available to the government within 48 hours notification. The three stages of activation provide flexibility to the total airlift force by permitting the use of all or just part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. Participation in the craft program is encouraged by awarding DOD peacetime airlift contracts to US certified airlines which operate aircraft suitable to military requirements. The success of the Civil Military Partnership was demonstrated by the airline industry's contribution during the Vietnam conflict. US civil aircraft and crews airlifted military personnel and equipment directly into Vietnam from all parts of the US. Civilian airline personnel worked alongside their military counterparts to provide a vital continuous flow of support over a 10,000 mile pipeline. In Cambodia during the siege of Phnom Penh, civil aircraft came under hostile fire during resupply. To be prepared for future contingencies, military support personnel must be familiar with procedures for loading civil aircraft. A large portion of the troops that would be mobilized under a national emergency would be airlifted by civil aircraft. The majority of these troops would be picked up at airfields which lack the facilities of major commercial airports. Troops would process through a standard mobility processing line. The weight of each troop and their baggage would be recorded for the passenger loading manifest to ensure proper aircraft weight and balance. Carry-on baggage is given a final check to see that it will fit under the passenger seat. Once the processing is complete, the troops would then be transported to the aircraft loading area. One of the initial passenger loading concerns is availability of aircraft passenger steps. Narrow-body aircraft such as the DC-8 or Boeing 707 have a passenger loading door height of 10 to 11 feet. Therefore, most passenger loading steps currently located throughout many military installations can be readily used. The passenger loading door height of the wide-body Boeing 747s, DC-10s and L-1011s, however, average between 16 to 17 feet above ground level. Availability of loading steps for these aircraft should be verified, especially at austere locations. There are several methods available for the loading of the troops baggage, depending on the type of aircraft being loaded, on-load and off-load location, and the availability of baggage handling equipment. One of the most common methods of loading baggage is using baggage pallets. Standard military 463L pallets can be used as baggage pallets. The pallets can be built up during the mobility processing before the aircraft arrives and can be delivered to the civil aircraft using standard military material handling equipment, such as K-loaders or forklifts. However, there are a limited type of passenger aircraft whose lower stowage areas are capable of accepting a fully loaded pallet. The 747's front lower lobe and center lower lobe doors are 104 inches wide. This aircraft is thus capable of accepting a baggage pallet, but only with the 88-inch wide side of the pallet going through the door. The need for special MHE is seen in that a K-loader platform is too wide to move through the door opening to the floor of the lower lobes of civil aircraft. For many DC-10s and L-1011s and all narrow-body aircraft, the lower lobe or compartment door is too narrow to permit the loading of baggage pallets. A disadvantage of baggage pallets is that even if they do fit into the lower lobe, they do not fully use the space available. The use of commercial baggage containers is of course an option. Commercial containers make full use of the available space in the lower baggage areas. These containers require specialized materials handling equipment, MHE, for loading and offloading. However, these containers and the MHE are not usually available at military locations. A method of loading baggage that is adaptable to any civil aircraft is hand-loading the baggage. Using flatbed trucks and loading teams, an aircraft can be loaded well within standard ground times. The troops being transported can augment the loading crew. Civil aircraft are able to transport cargo such as the lighter, more bulky cargo associated with unit deployments. One typical B747 can airlift four C141B loads of rolling stock. Thus, military aircraft are free to airlift the heavier, outsized pieces of military equipment. Due to the design limitations of the floors of current civilian aircraft, all military cargo must either be palletized or, in the cases of vehicles and other rolling stock, be placed on a subfloor. The subfloor normally consists of standard military 463L pallets. Before these 108-inch military pallets can be loaded, however, the restraining locks for the pallets may need to be reconfigured. Once the locks are adjusted, a subfloor is normally installed for a load of rolling stock. Routinely, the entire subfloor will be installed except for areas where a transfer pallet may be needed. The logistics of loading civil aircraft present unique problems. Fortunately, narrow-body DC-8s and B707s can be loaded with standard K-loaders and, if necessary, fork lifts. Wide-bodied aircraft with their 16- to 17-foot high decks require some type of high-lift loader. One method is the use of a Cochrane elevator loader. With ramps installed, the loader can lift vehicles from ground level to the main deck. Another method is by using a K-loader bed adapter. The use of this adapter extends the height capability of the standard K-loader to make it compatible with wide-bodied height requirements. A method of lifting cargo up to the top of the adapter is required. At some loading locations, standard commercial elevators or loaders may be available. Loading of a 747 can either be accomplished through the nose door or the side door, depending on the series and design of the 747. Either one or both of these doors may be available. The methodology of loading the 747 will vary by the type of load. One method of loading rolling stock is by using a transfer pallet. Once the vehicle has been reduced to the air transportable configuration, it's driven onto a Cochrane loader, which contains a double-married 463L transfer pallet. The Cochrane loader then lifts the palletized vehicle to the main deck of the aircraft. The transfer pallet may be pushed or moved into the aircraft by a power roller system built into the floor of the aircraft. With side door loading, the vehicle and transfer pallets are spun on the floor rollers. Once the vehicle is in line with the fuselage, the vehicle is moved to the palletized subfloor. The vehicle is then driven, or in the case of trailers, pushed into the final loading position. Care should be taken to avoid placing excessive weight in the rear of the aircraft, which would cause the aircraft to settle on its tail. The front lower lobe should be loaded during the beginning stages of the loading process. Loading through the nose doors is basically the same, except that the vehicle can be driven or pushed directly into the cargo area without the need for realignment. Many other types of equipment can be loaded into the 747, including gamma goats, trailers, jeeps, and even helicopters which can be loaded through the nose door. The 747 also has a lower lobe capability for up to nine standard military pallets. All equipment is normally palletized for the lower lobe and can be loaded either by payloader or forklift. The DC-10 can also be loaded with a large variety of military equipment. The loading procedures are essentially the same as for the side door loading of the 747. Narrow body aircraft are also an integral part of the craft cargo airlift resource. Standard K-loaders and forklifts can be used to load a large variety of equipment on these type aircraft. Normally, equipment loaded onto a narrow body fits onto a single 463L military pallet. Loads may include compressor and oxygen cart, hydraulic test equipment, heater and similar equipment. However, jeeps and quarter ton trailers also make excellent loads for narrow body aircraft. For cargo carrying or passenger transport, the Civil Aircraft is an added resource that can be of immense value to the active duty forces of the military airlift command in time of national emergency. Altogether, Civil Aircraft provide about 50% of max total strategic wartime airlift capability. Craft, the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, stands ready to join the military when called upon to serve our nation's need.