Well, that's a big question to answer. I'll try my best.
If you work an F&E (Furniture and Effects) section your day is filled with processing CF member's moves, contacting moving companies to book moves, rates for moves and storage of personal effects. As well, F&E is responsible to go out and evaluate the movers on site while they load/unload CF member's belongings. This is to ensure that everything is packed, moved and accounted for correctly. They also had out fines to moving companies that break rules in the contracts.
If you are posted to a CMTT you'll do shipping and receiving of freight and UAB. You'll ship freight and UAB to other destinations in Canada. For example if Cpl Jones is going on course and is flying, he'll want to ship a barrack box or 2 out ahead of him. When ever possible CMTT will ship through CF transport that my already travel to the destination. There are times that either the CF doesn't travel to destination or the item needs to be there yesterday, so they also do shipping through commercial companies.
Working in a Passenger Terminal is like any airline. They check in passengers and their luggage do security checks on luggage and advise travelers how late the flight is going to be.
Now Cargo Operations (there is only one and it's in Trenton) is one of the busier jobs. In Cargo Ops a team receives all the freight from across Canada and builds it onto 108x88 aircraft pallets and LD containers in order to ship it to destination. This consists of placing freight on the pallet in pre-designed configurations based on the aircraft it will be shipped on. All pieces TCN numbers are scanned and handed off to the Back Log Clerk who inputs the pieces on Way Bills for shipping. One of the Supervisors in Cargo will take all the info regarding the 108x88 aircraft pallets and LD containers and input it on a Weight and Balance form. This is when the ability for take off is determined. Occasionally pallets are switched around to give the aircraft a better centre of balance.
Line Crew is one of those jobs where when there is lots to do your overworked and other times there is very little to do. They work 12hr shifts 6 to 6, but they work only 15 days a month. Here is what their schedule looks like, D-Days O-Off and N-Nights
DD OO DDD OOO NN OO NN OOO. So if you take 2 days annual at the right time in your schedule you'll get a week off. Line Crew starts off each day doing Driver Inspections of all the vehicles they may use throughout the course of their day. Then they wait, unit an aircraft needs to be loaded/unloaded or a Search and Rescue change (consists of moving Search and Rescue equipment to a new plane).
These are just some of the many jobs that are our basic bread and butter. It's some of the side jobs that get our trade really recognized, example becoming a loadie.
When DART went to Sri Lanka, how did their equipment get there and back. Like I mentioned in a previous post, if the CF is going anywhere on OPS or EX there will be Traffic Techs to load and unload on both ends and a loadie to baby sit on the flight. I think the whole joke about the Air Force staying in hotels on exercise comes from Traffic Tech trade. When you're the first in to OPS or EXs there are no accommodations set up so they usually put us in hotels.
If you're more interested in a 0730 to 1600 job, F&E and CMTT or a combination of the two are at every CF base and most stations. That being said if you like the opportunity to travel, see the world, make some extra money and be at the heart of the operation than Trenton is the place to be. Here at Trenton CMTT, Cargo, Line Crew and the Passenger Terminal all come under one command, that is after you've worked in one department for a couple of years they can move you to another with out posting you. It's a good system and you don't have to worry that your whole career is going to be the same day in day out.
On a side note, I know a guy that finished his QL3s in June. He's already been to Montreal to ship humanitarian aid to Haiti, Thule Greenland for Ops called Box Top and he just got back from Sri Lanka.
Another 2 guys off the same course just spent a grueling 5 weeks in Zagreb with the close out of OP Palladium. It must have been treacherous living in the Sheraton Hotel with no mini bar in their rooms.
That's enough for now, but feel free to ask questions anytime.
