Employee designs air traffic program

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HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AFPN) --  The computer program an airfield manager here designed is streamlining flightline operations at nearly 45 Air Force bases, including all of those within Air Force Materiel Command.

Brian Watson developed the Aircraft Traffic Logging Automated System that is helping airfield managers all around the Air Force with tasks from flight plans to airfield management, according to Joe Berube, AFMC airfield operations chief. The system helps with requirements to "flight follow" aircraft, or track them from their departure point to where they land.

"AFMC bases have been using ATLAS for the past three or four years," Berube said. "It's a very good system and does a good job of tracking information critical to our operations."

Air Force Flight Standards Agency officials at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., considered ATLAS for Air Force-wide implementation, but elected to leave it as an optional tool for flight following, said Vern Jackson, deputy chief of AFFSA's airfield management division.

"We left the decision to use it up to each base with their major command's approval," Jackson said. "Each major command handles their air traffic differently. Some have tools already in place and we didn't feel it necessary to make ATLAS mandatory, despite it being a very good system."

ATLAS offers one-stop shopping to nearly every organization on a base with a flightline-oriented mission, Watson said. At Hill, experts working in the air traffic control tower, transient alert, command post and fuels management areas as well as 388th Fighter Squadron flight crews and 388th Fighter Wing maintenance people use ATLAS. So do Hill fire department members, experts at the Utah Test and Training Range and environmental managers.

With a click of a mouse, the system displays, in real time, when and what type of aircraft will be taking off or landing and a list of requirements for each. Flightline workers can see what aircraft require parking spaces or access to a munitions loading area.

"Each organization continuously monitors the status in their particular area and makes adjustments as needed to manning, repair requirements and scheduling depending on what the conditions are that particular day," Watson said.

Entries to the system can be made quickly and easily and priority taskings are color coded, he said. The system also has an alarm that sounds to notify users of updates and changes.

At Hill, all entries go directly into a spreadsheet-like format that is automatically added to a required Air Force daily events log maintained by base operations officials. Watson runs ATLAS throughout the day on a battery-operated laptop computer that automatically saves the information every minute, so if Hill's LAN goes down, the information stays current and can be immediately restored.

By cutting down on time that used to be spent completing paperwork, ATLAS has saved $150,000 each year for the past 11 years and an estimated 300 man-hours per year here, Watson said.

Base operations workers update the ATLAS hourly with current runway and bird conditions. The system is also updated when a taxiway is closed or if the airfield's runway lights are out. Using ATLAS, airfield maintenance teams now respond immediately to any on-the-spot flightline repair needs, according to Watson.

Pilots can log flight plans in advance and view pre-flight briefings in front of a computer in their squadron before even stepping onto the flightline, he said. In the past, pilots were required to stop by base operations to receive this type of information while their squadrons would constantly be in contact with base operations by phone to update flight plans.

"The system has made things so much easier for us," said Tech. Sgt. Tina Matthews, 421st Fighter Squadron operations superintendent. "Now, the information we need is all right in front of us. It's flexible and provides an easy way to maintain documentation."

Additionally, squadrons that routinely reserve munitions loading areas can do so in advance, putting an end to common scheduling conflicts associated with Hill's heavily used "hot pad" areas, Watson said. Also, pilots from other bases needing to use Hill's runway can access the system to request advanced permission to land here.

ATLAS has also made emergency responders' jobs easier, according to Watson. Fire department workers here can easily track how many aircraft are coming and going each day and assess the long-term impact, adjusting manning and additional equipment requirements based on these numbers.

Watson also said environmental management experts use the system to assess the impact of air traffic to the airfield and the surrounding area, while the training range uses the system to track the times and dates of air traffic originating from Hill.

ATLAS is available via Hill's Web site to any Department of Defense installation interested in downloading it, free, along with operating manuals. ATLAS is a Windows 95, 98, 2000 NT, XP operating system and users need Microsoft access with minimal hardware to run the program.

Watson provides technical support and assistance for users if needed, but said the system can easily be integrated anywhere. (Courtesy of AFMC News Service)