BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Every morning, Airfield Management personnel go out and inspect the entire airfield for potential hazards, which include bad pavement, foreign object debris and animals, all of which can cause damage to our aircraft.
“Our main job is to maintain the airfield itself,” said Master Sgt. Christopher Biery, 2nd Operations Support Squadron deputy airfield manager.
When the airfield is clear of hazards or debris, planes are much safer from potential damage.
“If an aircraft comes in and hits a piece of pavement that has fallen apart, it could damage the aircraft,” said Biery. “It could damage the tires, or suck FOD into the engine. There are a lot of things that could go wrong if we don’t maintain the airfield.”
If wildlife makes its way onto the flightline, airfield management coordinates with 2nd Bomb Wing safety to remove it. Safety personnel use either passive or aggressive techniques to resolve the issue. Passive techniques include air cannons, traps and controlling the grass height to 7-14 inches. Aggressive techniques, such as depredation, are used only as a last resort.
Airfield Management also assists the pilots by reviewing and submitting flight plans to the air traffic control tower. Flight plans detail the route an aircraft will travel. Airfield Management and the control tower make sure the pilots are flying the best route.
“A flight plan consists of a call sign, type of aircraft, route of flight and the different checkpoints of the flight,” said Tech. Sgt. Jason Bourne, 2nd OSS airfield management operations supervisor.
Another safety concern is people driving on the runway without proper certification. Cars can be hit or flipped by an aircraft, so the Wing Driving Program helps minimize hazards by training and checking driver’s authorization.
“I look at it like a firing range,” said Biery. “If you go out in the firing range, you could get shot or killed. If you don’t get permission from the air traffic control tower to drive on the runway, you might not see that an aircraft is about to land. Air traffic control directs the air traffic, my job is to help them by educating them on the proper procedures to go out on the runway.”
Compared to the rest of base, the rules and regulations of the airfield can be stricter when airplanes are at risk of getting damaged.
“It’s a different world out here on the flightline,” said Tech. Sgt. Nathan Strickland, 2nd OSS NCO in charge of airfield management operations.
Keeping the airfield clear of hazards gets the pilots one step closer from taking off and landing safely.