[SkyPilot]

but back in my day AF loadmasters had final say on all palletized materiel flying out of the ass end of USAF aircraft.

Still true. The rigging was accomplished with Army and AF personnel, and the loadmasters have to give it the final go ahead as you say. They are the ones whose live are on the line if the weight and balance is off, which could cause catastrophe on takeoff. Or, if the load does not properly exit the aircraft or you get a hung chute, you could have a catastrophe.

I remember the Heavy Brigade airdrop exercises we did in the late 1990s using C-5s - THAT was interesting.

C-5s and C-17s can drop M551 Sheridan tanks.

We had a lot of damaged vehicles over North Carolina farmland during that one, just like this incident.

[ameribbean expat]

We used to send a lot of E-6s (squad leaders) to USAF load master course at Howard AFB. Joint training. Just like our company mortar teams used to be qual’d on naval gunfire. We were a long way from home and all we had was each other. Not that we didn’t beat the tar out of each other on liberty...joint readiness does have its limits.