Transient alert tops at coordination, control Published Aug. 3, 2006 By Senior Airman James Croxon 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- The runway here has hundreds of sorties flown each month by three flying squadrons, but aircraft from other locations land here more than a thousand times a month. Unlike the aircraft assigned to the base, transient aircraft do not have dedicated recovery and support crews. Instead, they rely on 12 Airmen assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron transient alert flight to recover the aircraft and coordinate support functions. "We're like a gas station and warehouse for most aircraft," said Master Sgt. Michael Hopton, transient alert flight chief. Coordinating everything from maintenance to fuel, the team launches, parks and supports all commercial and military aircraft flying into Balad. All the Airmen are crew chiefs, but as transient alert they have the rare opportunity to work with an assortment of airframes. "I get to experience aircraft I probably never would have at any other time in my career," said Senior Airman William Tumulty, deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Airman Tumulty is an F-15 Eagle crew chief back at Hill. Here, he works with the C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15 Eagle, and sometimes HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters. He also works with commercial aircraft from all over the world. It's not just the assortment of aircraft that makes the job unique. Sometimes it's the cargo, which can sometimes make the transient alert section an interesting and sobering place to work. "The most memorable thing I've done here is a patriot detail," said Senior Airman Michael Vittorio, deployed from Little Rock AFB, Ark. "You know you are at war all the time but when you are saluting a flag-draped casket of a fallen servicemember, it brings it all home." Tthe usual aircraft are commercial and military airlift, Sergeant Hopton said. The ramp is also a temporary home to aeromedical evacuation, transient fighters and distinguished visitor aircraft. "It's sometimes a balancing act, especially when an aircraft breaks and requires maintenance," Sergeant Hopton said. "All of a sudden we are down to four, sometimes fewer spots to work with." A parking shortage can have far-reaching ramifications for a team that recovered 1,281 aircraft last month alone. So if a plane breaks, the transient alert team rushes to get it fixed in a hurry. When an aircraft does require maintenance, transient alert is the point of contact to get personnel and supplies. "Sometimes we can rely on wing assets to repair aircraft such as the 777th (Expeditionary Maintenance Unit) helping to fix transient C-130s," Sergeant Hopton said. "If it's a major fix we request teams from the states or area bases to repair the aircraft. We meet them when they get here and take care of whatever they need so they can get to work and get the jet airborne again." Working the phones and building relationships is a big part of what transient alert does. It can make the difference between having a plane that may be low on fuel circle the base until a spot opens up or recovering it, refueling it and sending it off again."In this job, keeping a constant flow of communication is absolutely critical," Sergeant Hopton said. "If we don't keep in touch with airfield operations, fuels, the tower and other units, we run out of parking and can't complete the mission."