An airlift to Gaza: the view from inside a C-130 cargo plane
The Jordanian Air Force C-130 Hercules cargo plane banked in a slow arc over the Mediterranean, pointing its nose towards Gaza for its approach — the final stage of the intricate ballet that is dropping aid over the war-ravaged enclave.
Earlier, in a cavernous hangar at a Royal Jordanian Air Force base, soldiers from Jordan, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and Singapore assembled to prepare the 79 tons of rice, sugar, pasta, tomato paste, dates and other basic foodstuffs set for the day’s drop.
Despite the sweltering heat, the soldiers stationed at the King Abdullah II Airbase worked quickly, the hangar an ants’ nest of activity as they secured one-ton piles of aid boxes to pallets, wrapped them in protective fabric, then tightened the rigging before using a forklift to hoist a parachute above each one.
No less active were the crews of the seven dark-gray cargo planes arrayed on the tarmac nearby, their bellies open as loadmasters prepared the planes for their cargo.
“We have to get a 100% success rate for the drops,” said Phille, a Belgian soldier whose tattoos, muscular build and clean-shaven head belied the gentle way he spoke as he tied a low-velocity parachute to a pallet. He gave his nickname, in line with the Belgian military’s policy.
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