Electricians keep the lights on

Staff Sgt. Paul Izyk, 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron electrical systems journeyman, removes a taxiway light for inspection on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 31, 2013. Izyk is a member of the Airfield Lighting team which goes out nightly to inspect and maintain lighting systems around the flightline. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. David Dobrydney)

Electricians keep the lights on

Senior Airman Luke Wamsley, 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron electrical systems journeyman, maintains a runway sign on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 31, 2013. The Airfield Lighting team is responsible for maintaining the various lighting systems on the Bagram flightline. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. David Dobrydney)

Electricians keep the lights on

Published Feb. 2, 2013
By Staff Sgt. David Dobrydney
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Here on the Department of Defense's busiest airfield, flying operations continue 24 hours a day.

Those operations are enhanced when arriving and departing aircraft are able to see where they are going as opposed to relying on instruments.

That's where the Airfield Lighting team from the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron comes in.

This three-man team goes out every night to replace bulbs, check circuits and pull wires to keep the lights burning brightly.

"These guys work night shift because of all the sorties," said Master Sgt. Anthony Bowen, 455th ECES electrical flight superintendent. "It's so busy it's not favorable to be driving around the airfield during [daylight hours]."

Lights on the airfield range from small blue taxiway lights to 1500 watt floodlights on poles 80 to 120 feet in the air.

"The thing that's most unique about the airfield lighting is that it's a series circuit ... which is not used predominantly except in airfield lighting," said Tech. Sgt. Blake Moulden, 455th ECES airfield lighting team leader. In a series circuit, the electricity flows in only one direction instead of being branched off to separate light fixtures.

"[The circuit] has constant current regulators that maintain the system because it's one big loop around the airfield," said Moulden.

Moulden added there are 16 different circuits around the airfield, all of which have their own current regulators to maintain a constant intensity of light as mandated by Airfield Management. Besides the complexity of the different systems, the team has had to deal with the effects of recent snowstorms.

"If you're climbing in 25 degree temperatures, up there it's a lot colder," said Staff Sgt. Paul Izyk," 455th ECES electrical systems journeyman.

However, while the current team has only just started their deployment, Izyk said their work has not gone unnoticed, with a letter of thanks coming from Airfield Management.

"There's just been a lot of stuff we've accomplished in just over a month," he said. "It does put a feather in your cap."