Also called: Air Force 1A2
Plans and supervises loading cargo, vehicles, and paratroopers onto transport planes like the C-17 and C-130.
Loadmasters calculate weight and balance, chain down tanks and helicopters, and run airdrops where pallets slide out the back mid-flight. They fly worldwide, delivering everything from relief supplies to troops. Afterward they work for cargo airlines like FedEx or as logistics managers.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-7 ranks, 2026 estimate, plus the special-duty, hazardous-duty, or skill pays this specialty usually earns. Enlistment/reenlistment bonuses for this field can be $10k-$50k+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.5 years after high school. High school diploma, then ~6 months of aircrew and loadmaster training. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Logistics, Aviation Management.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. Load-planning software computes balance; chaining down cargo and running airdrops stay human.
Classes: Physics, Algebra, PE / strength training.
Official data: O*NET occupation 55-3011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.