Smooth operators: Air traffic controllers, airfield managers keep Beale flying

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chuck Broadway
  • 9 RW Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., (ACCNS) --  More than 100 times a day an aircraft touches the surface of Beale's airstrip and the 9th Operations Squadron's Airfield Operations Flight plays a role in every occurrence. The 9th OSS Airfield Operations Flight is responsible for every aircraft coming in and out of Beale, as well as for maintaining the safety of the airfield. 

To do this, the flight is divided into two major functions: Air Traffic Controllers and Airfield Management. 

Air traffic controllers set up shop 11 stories high in Beale's control tower, the tallest structure on base. With a panoramic view of the base in the background, air traffic controllers don their headsets and communicate with pilots to successfully complete each mission. 

Inside the tower each crewmember has a specialized job. Flight data communicates with agencies such as weather to broadcast data for flight conditions, and ground control crew members give clearances for flights and talk with pilots once they are in their respective planes. Once pilots are airborne, air control takes over the flight. 

Air controllers coordinate the space and time between take-offs and landings and approve flight patterns to allow for safe distances between aircraft. Beale controllers continuously talk with pilots until they are either above an altitude of 2,100 feet or outside a five-mile radius surrounding the base. Once the aircraft is out of Beale's tower control, they are immediately placed in the hands of the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Senior Airman Keil Barnard, a 9th OSS air traffic controller, said that Beale's unique aircraft can make the job of an air traffic controller challenging. 

"It's extremely difficult here due to the variation in speed between the U-2 and the T-38," Airman Barnard said. 

The U-2 flies at speeds ranging from 108 to 132 mph while under Beale's tower control and the T-38 flies between 240 and 360 mph. 

Other aspects of Beale's mission which can make an air traffic controller's job difficult are the different traffic patterns and mobile chase cars used for a U-2 launch or landing. 

According to 1st Lt. Scott Rosenbloom, the 9th OSS Airfield Operations Flight operations officer, the U-2 flies seven different traffic patterns, compared to most aircraft which fly only three patterns. For each of those patterns a mobile chase car is used to guide pilots and air traffic controllers must plan for and adjust flight schedules to allow sufficient time for the chase cars to clear the airstrip once the plane has taken off or landed. 

Among the seven patterns flown is the U-2 high-flight which creates a schedule conflict that is unique to Beale. 

When a pilot is scheduled for a high-flight and suited up in the U-2 space suit they become a priority flight. This priority takes precedent over other flights and schedules must be altered to enable the U-2 to take off when the pilot is prepared to fly. 

Not only do air traffic controllers handle schedule changes for priority flights, they must also adjust plans when an emergency takes place. Emergencies can be anything from an animal running out onto the runway, an in-flight emergency or any number of other issues. In 2008 there were more than 40 in-flight emergencies reported but the Airfield Operations Flight members were prepared for each of them. 

"We have checklists for everything," said Senior Airman Javon Smith, a 9th OSS air traffic controller. "Every possible situation that can occur is covered by guidelines we must follow and we have to be completely by the book." 

Being by the book and not overlooking minor details is something air traffic controllers learn during their extensive training. 

Completion of training takes approximately 18 months with a majority of training taking place in the flight's simulator. The simulator is a 180 degree, projection-screen system created using 10,000 pictures of Beale's airfield. Trainees are put through different situations in order to build confidence in their ability without the worry of an accident taking place. Instructors can insert different obstacles, such as in-flight emergencies or a runway hazard, at anytime throughout the simulation. Instructors judge how a trainee handles the emergency or hazard based on their reactions and composure. 

Once they are familiar with the airfield and are comfortable with the mission, air traffic controllers begin working in the tower. 

"The new air traffic controllers get up to speed very quickly," said Maj. Pat Hudson, a 99th Reconnaissance Squadron U-2 pilot. "Sometimes we have as many as four planes flying simultaneously and it's tough to keep track of them." 

Air traffic controllers work directly with the airfield management division of the flight to clear the runway of all hazards in order to keep flights on schedule. 

Airfield management is in charge of all safety and construction for the airfield. Flight members work with civil engineers to help maintain more than 12 million square feet of runway surface. 

"We have to make sure we're doing our jobs and meet construction deadlines since we only have one runway here," said Capt. Justin Mills, the 9th OSS Airfield Operations Flight commander. 

During the 2007 calendar year, Beale's Airfield Operations Flight handled $85 million in construction costs and more than 40,000 flight operations. 

By applying what they learn in training and delivering a safe airfield and confident voice to pilots as they leave and return to Beale, the airfield operations flight has earned the respect of the very pilots they watch soar through the air. 

"They're a cut above other bases I've been to," Major Hudson said. "They're very professional and do a fantastic job."