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Airfield Management: Providing combat support

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

A team of Airmen at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar is responsible for inspecting more than 49 million square feet of pavement every day.

The team is also responsible for reviewing every flight plan prior to any aircraft departure, nearly 3,000 in the first three months of 2016, as well as inspecting airfield signage, runway markings and managing the airfield driver’s program.

This team is the 379th Expeditionary Operations Squadron Airfield Management section. The section manages operations for the largest airfield in the U.S. Air Force’s Central area of responsibility.

Staff Sgt. Talia Fulgham, 379 EOSS Airfield Management operations noncommissioned officer in charge from Alliance, Ohio, said her Airmen provide critical support to flying operations.

“We conduct daily inspections of all pavement on the airfield to make sure there’s no obstructions that could inhibit flying in any way,” Fulgham said. “We also inspect all airfield markings and signs.”

These inspections consist of sweeps for foreign objects or debris, airfield markings visibility tests and distance evaluations known as 1,000 foot checks, which are conducted to ensure no objects are within 1,000 feet of either of Al Udeid’s two runways.

Fulgham said, she’s conducted many inspections of Al Udeid’s airfield and often finds FOD. On one occasion, she also discovered a portion of asphalt that was breaking apart on an aircraft taxiway.

It’s important to be proactive and discover issues with the airfield before they prevent hazards to aircraft, Fulgham said.

“If we don’t do thorough inspections something could happen that could prevent aircraft from taking-off on time and that puts the mission at risk,” she said. “I appreciate my job, because I feel like we have a real impact towards the mission.”

Another responsibility of the 379 EOSS Airfield Management team is managing the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing’s airfield driving program. The team ensures anyone who requires a flight line driver’s license receives the necessary training before driving on the airfield.

Senior Airman Logan Winter, 379 EOSS, Airfield Management journeyman from Quincy, Washington, said managing more than 3,000 flight line drivers can be challenging.

“It can get overwhelming, because many people out here have never driven on an airfield in their careers and they’re expected to become proficient in three days,” Winter said.

“Safety is magnified on the flight line because of our aircraft,” he said. “We have more than 3,000 flight line drivers and even more Airmen working out there every day. If we have an incident that blocks off an area, that will degrade mission capability.”

The Airfield Management team conducts hourly checks of the airfield to ensure vehicle operators are driving safely according to instructions. The team also responds to any incident involving vehicles and aircraft.

During his time at AUAB, Winter said one driver managed to drive his truck under the wing of a taxing C-17 Globemaster III and another driver drove a bus on the runway while a C-130 was landing. The driver told responders that he saw the C-130 in his rearview mirror, realized he made a mistake and quickly exited the runway.

Both incidents resulted in the suspension of airfield driving privileges.

“The biggest hazard is for a vehicle to hit an aircraft, which is something we try to avoid,” Winter said. “Jet engines are also very powerful and have the potential to flip a vehicle. If that happened, that would likely close down an area until the investigation is complete which would likely delay flying operations.”

Supporting the mission at AUAB has been a shining moment for Winter’s career, he said.

“Deploying here has been the highlight of my career,” he said.  I see the direct impact we have every day. We’re serving a greater purpose, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve and keeping our country and families safe. That’s why I joined the Air Force.”

The 379 EOSS Airfield Management team supported more than 20,000 sorties in 2015.