Air traffic controllers manage safe, efficient operation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Erik Hofmeyer
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  A team of Airmen observe the diversity of air power used in the war on terrorism from the highest vantage point on base: the air traffic control tower.

Forward-deployed U.S. armed forces and coalition partners depend on every flight that takes off from and lands at the air base run by the Airmen of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.  Among other missions, the base serves as a major mobility hub for transporting servicemembers and equipment in and out of the area of responsibility.

Such a diverse mission needs a high-speed tower operation to control and regulate the more than 18,000 take offs and landings during a typical AEF rotation.

Airmen remain in constant communication with host nation air traffic controllers and aircrews assigned to the wing to initiate and issue air traffic control clearances, instructions and advisories to ensure the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic, said Staff Sgt. Roy Johnson, 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron air traffic control watch supervisor.

Taxiways can get bottled up quickly during high operations tempo periods, so Airmen manage the orderly movement of aircraft on the ground, which frequently involves "thinking on one's feet."

For example, during a recent taxiway resurfacing, 379th EOSS Airmen devised innovative ways to integrate takeoffs and landings with taxing aircraft on the runway so that no arriving or departing aircraft were delayed, Sergeant Johnson said.

Although air traffic controllers are rated and experienced when they arrive for a deployment, they must quickly learn aircraft parking plans, know the different ramps and taxiways, plus learn call signs and many other airfield-related details, Sergeant Johnson said.

Controlling aircraft at deployed locations is challenging and quite different from the traditional missions controllers are used to. Airmen must become familiar with terminology and dialects to create a safe environment for aircraft to conduct combat operations.

Another challenge is the more than a dozen U.S. and coalition airframes that are assigned to the 379th AEW. Aircrews from European countries operate under International Civil Aviation Organization regulations.

On the other hand, U.S. pilots follow U.S. federal and military air directives. Controllers mesh the guidelines together and create a safe environment for aircraft to land, said Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Olson, 379th EOSS tower chief controller.

Air traffic control Airmen work closely with host nation controllers from 11 different countries to direct air flow. However, Airmen bridge the cultural differences and work methods to ensure smooth lines of communication, Sergeant Olson said.

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