Air Traffic Control

Staff Sgt. Colin Belyeu, 2nd Operations Support Squadron air traffic control tower operator, looks at the runway through binoculars on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 8, 2014. Air traffic control operators use a variety of other tools such as a light gun, computers and a microphone to communicate critical information to pilots. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Benjamin Raughton)

Air Traffic Control

B-52H Stratofortresses sit on the flightline on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 8, 2014. Air traffic controllers monitor the distance between airborne aircraft and aircraft on the ground as well as moving vehicles to ensure the safety of all Airmen who carry out the mission on the flightline. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Benjamin Raughton)

Air Traffic Control

Senior Airman John Porter, 2nd Operations Support Squadron air traffic control tower operator, points to a vehicle driving on the runway on Barksdale Air Force Base, La,. Aug. 8, 2014. Porter communicated with the vehicle driver to ensure the runway ahead was safe for the vehicle to continue crossing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Benjamin Raughton)

Air Traffic Control

Senior Airman John Porter, 2nd Operations Support Squadron air traffic control operator, demonstrates how to use a light gun on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 8, 2014. The light gun is most often used when radio communication is difficult between the traffic control tower and the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Benjamin Raughton)

Air Traffic Control

Senior Airman John Porter, air traffic control operator, uses a microphone to communicate with pilots on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 8, 2014. The microphone sends a voice recording to a computer program that pilots can dial into to receive additional information on flight conditions, such as weather, potential hazards, and a flock of birds. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Benjamin Raughton)

Air traffic control provides safe passage for B-52

Published Aug. 12, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Benjamin Raughton
2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. - -- B-52H Stratofortress pilots fly potentially dangerous missions, but they must be careful of more than just weather patterns while in the air. Air traffic controllers are responsible for maintaining precise safety measures to protect the 185,000 pound heavy bomber against birds, other aircraft and more.

The 34 air traffic controllers assigned here provide valuable safety and environmental support to B-52 aircrews and keep watch over them on the ground and in the air.

"We are responsible for a five-mile radius around the base up to 2,500 feet," said Master Sgt. Matthew Munao, 2nd Operations Support Squadron interim chief controller. "We also disseminate weather reports, information and airfield conditions to the pilots."

Such information may include flocks of birds that pose a danger to an aircraft or a truck crossing the runway that may otherwise go unnoticed by the B-52.
Additionally, air traffic controllers provide pilots information that can prevent a tragedy.

"We keep aircraft from colliding," said Airman 1st Class James Thurman, 2nd OSS air traffic controller apprentice. "The fundamentals of air traffic controls are to separate aircraft and issue safety alerts. The separation requirements keep everyone safe, both in the air and on the ground."

Sometimes, aircraft must take off in rapid succession to accomplish an important mission, but air traffic control Airmen make sure safety measures are still in place to protect the lives of the aircrew and integrity of the aircraft.

"Heavy aircraft like the B-52... have a lot of wake turbulence when they take off, so you have to wait two minutes before departing another aircraft," Thurman said. "The [wake turbulence] creates a lot of movement in the air."

Air traffic control Airmen learn the fundamental skill they need in technical school, after which they receive further on-the-job training here. In total, it may take an airman up to a year and a half to fully complete required training.

As an air traffic control trainee, Thurman said he's always with his trainer, who acts as a safeguard. Even so, he's expected to multitask and concentrate on multiple scenarios at the same time to ensure safety on the flightline.

"You've got to be able to concentrate on a hundred things at once," Thurman said. "You have to concentrate on the aircraft you're talking to, focus on several frequencies at once and listen to other vehicles on the ground that want to cross the runway. You have to think about the aircraft you talked to five minutes ago that's now taxiing down to see if he'll be in any conflict with another vehicle or aircraft, so you have to pay attention to everything at once."

Furthermore, the integral training provides air traffic control Airmen the experience they need for working in deployed environments.

"Overseas, the airports and runways may be different, so you may have different airframes," Munao said. "When you deploy, you could be working with F-16s or A-10s. To learn on the fly, OJT-style, on how to mix big planes like bombers with smaller, faster planes brings a learning curve."

Whether home or abroad, air traffic control Airmen do their part to provide decisive nuclear deterrence and conventional firepower to combatant commanders for global strike operations.