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Airfield management fast-paced job

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Matkin
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The flightline of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, to include the taxiway and runway, is one of the busiest and most diverse airfield operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, with more than 5,000 take-offs and landings each month. These aircraft are performing missions vital to the success of operations downrange, whether they are transiting troops, providing air support or dropping vital supplies to forward operating bases. Without the airfield and the personnel who manage it, these missions would never even get off the ground.

Managing this airfield and keeping it safe for aircraft and personnel is the responsibility of the 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron Airfield Operations Flight, which includes the control tower and airfield management.

The mission of the control tower is to provide safe air traffic and control services for all aircraft assigned to and transiting the base.

"Nothing happens on this airfield without it first going through us," said Master Sgt. Scott Sojak, 379 EOSS chief controller, deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan. "An aircraft cannot land, take off, or taxi without coordination through the tower. We are an integral part of an aircraft's mission, from start to finish."

First, there is the watch supervisor who ensures compliance with all local operating procedures for the base during their assigned shift.

"Regardless of rank or seniority the watch supervisor is in charge, which is unique to this career field," Sergeant Sojak said.

The second duty in the control tower is the local controller who maintains surveillance of the base's airspace and controlled movement area. As an aircraft approaches, the local controller visually acquires the aircraft, sequences it with any other inbound or departing aircraft, ensures the runway is clear of any aircraft or vehicular traffic that could impede its landing, and then clears the aircraft to land.

Once the aircraft lands, it is turned over from the local controller to the ground controller, who taxis them to park, Sergeant Sojak said. The ground controller maintains surveillance of all aircraft movement to include taxiing aircraft and towing. It is also their responsibility to assist the local controller in maintaining surveillance of the movement area.

The duties of these three positions of air traffic control may be the same all over the world; however, their job here is different because they work hand-in-hand with the host nation controllers, Sergeant Sojak said.

"Working with the host nation is something new for all of us and sometimes communication can be a challenge, but we work through it with patience and understanding," Sergeant Sojak said. "It has really been a great experience interacting with the host nation controllers and we have all learned from one another."

Just as the air traffic controllers must work hand-in-hand with the host nation, they also must work closely with airfield management, said Capt. Joshua Pitler, airfield operations officer in-charge, deployed from Barksdale, AFB, La. The control tower and airfield management are two separate elements, but they work together in unison to provide a safe airfield.

The mission of airfield management is to ensure the entire airfield and its surrounding areas are safe, efficient and effective for all aircraft operations.

All aircraft arriving to and departing from the base must file a flight plan with airfield management, who logs the information in accordance with local guidelines and ensures coordination with the host nation.

"We process more than 3,000 flight plans per month," said Staff Sgt. Laribeth Matter, 379 EOSS deputy airfield manager, deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., "which is an easy way to view the difference in operations tempo from home station as we only process about 600 a month at home."

Another difference from home station is that airfield management personnel are parking aircraft and ensuring their safety, Sergeant Matter said. This is a challenging experience for airfield management because there are relatively few parking locations for the numerous types of aircraft assigned to the base, plus there are transient aircraft coming and going regularly.

To account for the transient aircraft, airfield management issues 20 to 30 PPRs or prior permission required, every day, which are approval numbers issued to transient aircraft. PPRs help airfield management ensure timing and parking availability and orchestrate the movement and flow of transient aircraft, Sergeant Matter said. Once they get notified a transient aircraft will be arriving on base, they immediately have to reconfigure the ramp space to ensure it is used at its maximum capacity, while also maintaining safety standards.

Maintaining safety on the flightline is a major role of airfield management. Personnel are constantly scouring the flightline to ensure it is free of any foreign objects or other hazardous materials that could damage the aircraft, Sergeant Matter said. A foreign object detection check is completed every two hours. This is to make sure the strong winds here or aircraft have not blown any rocks onto the runway or taxiway, Sergeant Matter said. This is also done immediately after a large aircraft, or what they call a "heavy," lands or departs.

The duties of airfield management personnel are all tied to maintaining flightline safety and it is for this reason that they are responsible for notifying base responders should an emergency situation arise.

"We monitor the flightline during emergencies to verify and ensure air traffic controllers can continue airfield operations while the emergency is in progress," Sergeant Matter said.

"The mission of airfield management and the air traffic controllers go hand in hand," Captain Pitler said. "It is quite the ballet to watch these two groups work together. They really work in sync to create a safe and efficient environment for aircraft operating on the ground and in the air. The end result of the control tower and airfield management personnel's hard work is that aircraft can take off and land safely -- and these servicemembers make it happen."