Exercise challenges air traffic controllers

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Ryan Mattox
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) --  Rising more than 14 stories above the runway, air traffic controllers scan a five-mile area including 3,000 feet above the base here. They are playing a key role in the movement of air traffic during Cooperative Cope Thunder, an exercise bringing pilots and ground personnel from around the world to Elmendorf.

Besides an increase in air traffic and people, one of the biggest challenges the exercise brings controllers is the language barrier between U.S. Air Force controllers and foreign allied participants.

Japanese air self-defense force fighter aircraft are participating in the exercise for the first time. To help make operations flow smoothly and to help deal with the language barrier, an English-speaking Japanese officer is working in the control tower alongside an American counterpart within shouting distance of Air Force air traffic controllers.

"Even though English is the universal language used when flying, miscommunications still happen between pilots and air traffic controllers," said Tech. Sgt. Timothy Van Houten, the 3rd Operations Support Squadron air traffic watch supervisor here.

Before pilots from any other country arrive here, they are required to know Air Force, Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. regulations regarding U.S. air space.

Capt. Yoshifumi Nakamura, a Japanese F-15J pilot, works in the tower alongside is 3rd Wing counterpart to supervise flying operations. They are ready to step in to deal with any miscommunications between the tower, Japanese pilots and ground workers.

"We feel sometimes it is hard to understand the tower," said Nakamura. "When problems arise, we sometimes ask the controller to slow down. It is very useful to have the face-to-face contact with the controllers and to have daily briefings on operations."

Not only Japanese pilots find this a key link between pilots and the tower, Air Force air traffic controllers also say they benefit from the added step.

"We are able to go to that person and relay face-to-face the instructions, which is a much easier barrier to overcome. Then the Japanese supervisor of flying explains to his pilot what we want him to do. That's a real help to have a him in the tower," said Van Houten. "The language barrier is one of the biggest challenges, especially for the younger troops. When they experience the heavier accents of the pilots, it's a great training opportunity for them to have us there as supervisors to explain to them about what the pilots are asking."

Cope Thunder brings an additional 500 people and 40 aircraft to Elmendorf, which increases flightline operations. Working with foreign pilots and watching aero club pilots leaving the same runway is a learning experience for Senior Airman Terry Donaldson, a 3rd OSS air traffic controller.

"It's lot more difficult," said Donaldson. "It increases your workload and requires you to pay a lot more attention. Normally, I can listen for certain things when a pilot is responding to your control instructions and have them read back what I told them to do. Now I have to make sure they understand what I told them to do, and at the same time, deal with other traffic that is stationed here."