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March 21,  2003

New C-17 seating system increases troop-transport capability

By Capt. Krista Carlos
437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AMCNS) -- C-17 Systems Program Office experts gave the new C-17 palletized seating system a "thumbs up" during a recent egress test, potentially enabling the aircraft to increase its troop-transport capability from 102 to 189.

SPO officials at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio,, Boeing representatives and flight test engineers from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., successfully egress-tested the seating system Feb. 19 at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. In that test, 188 passengers and eight aircrew members evacuated the aircraft in less than 50 seconds, said 2nd Lt. Dave Bartley, C-17 mission systems program manager at Wright-Patterson.

"You can expect to see the seats become operational soon," said Bartley. "The seats have successfully completed the egress portion of the test, but still must undergo the final approval by the engineering department before they can be deemed 'airworthy.'"

With the C-17's seating capacity only half that of the C-141, Air Mobility Command's combat mission needs statement outlined a void in the command's ability to transport combat troops into and out of austere combat airfields during contingency operations.

"This (palletized seating) is not a new concept," said John O'Sullivan, Boeing quality assurance manager. "It was used in the C-141 and it adds capability to the C-17 that it currently doesn't have."

Each seat pallet can be configured to hold 10 or 15 seats, said O'Sullivan. The egress test at Pope tested two configurations. One configuration used nine seat pallets, no comfort pallet and 188 passengers. The other configuration was eight seat pallets, comfort pallet and 163 passengers.

The goal was to evacuate all passengers in less than 90 seconds, the Federal Aviation Administration standard.

The test used the worst-case scenario first, using the right-hand troop door and one emergency exit for both configurations, said O'Sullivan. Test experts expected some obstacles, but the passengers were able to successfully evacuate in less than 50 seconds for both seat set-ups, eliminating a need to continue with any more egress testing.

Along with the increased capability, the seats should also provide a more comfortable trip on C-17s for AMC passengers, said Maj. John Pepin, 437th Aerial Port Squadron operations officer here.

"Flying a 10-12 hour mission can take a toll on passengers, so the new seats will be a useful asset," said Pepin.

Charleston and McChord Air Force Base, Wash., will receive 17 sets of palletized seats each, said Bartley. Ten sets have arrived at Charleston. The remaining seven sets should arrive before mid-March.

"It's a very valuable capability to help transport more troops to different locations and will potentially decrease the workload of the aircraft," said Bartley. (Courtesy AFMC News Service)