Keeping personnel, aircraft safe on the ground

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jason Barebo
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  It is commonly accepted that safety is everyone's responsibility. For one 509th operations flight, safety plays a critical role in protecting flightline personnel and assets.

Airfield management specialists from the 509th Operational Support Squadron highlight safety by managing aircraft arrivals and departures, responding to emergencies, and coordinating hazardous cargo.

"Airfield management has a lot of responsibilities as a flight," said Tech. Sgt. Traci Schroeder, 509th OSS acting airfield manager. "We file flight plans for pilots and can also follow the routes of the flight plans. We conduct numerous airfield inspections on a daily basis, ensure the safety of the airfield driving program and post notices to Airmen to alert pilots of any hazards in their flight path.

"We perform an airfield inspection every morning and once an hour throughout the day," she said. "We check for any foreign object debris or equipment that is out of place as well as make sure that drivers entering the airfield complete their tire checks for FOD and adhere to flightline driving regulations."

With a team of 14, one of the most visible airfield management missions is being the primary focal point for all arriving and departing aircraft, including transient aircraft.

"We've processed more than 1,000 flight plans here since January," Sergeant Schroeder said. "We've also logged more than 4,900 aircraft arrivals and departures, including transient aircraft."

Aircraft arriving to and departing from the base must file a flight plan with airfield management, who then logs the information in accordance with local guidelines.

Airfield management coordinates all in-flight and ground emergencies once notified by the air traffic control tower.

"The air traffic control tower uses the primary crash phone to notify us of an in-flight emergency or ground emergency," said Senior Airman James Carson, 509th OSS airfield management shift leader. "We in turn activate the secondary crash phone which allows us to notify numerous agencies at once with all available information. In addition, an airfield manager responds to the area to ensure it is clear and free of any foreign objects or other hazards once the emergency is terminated. Once the area is safe and clear, it is reopened for use."

Since January, airfield management has coordinated emergency response for more than 30 in-flight emergencies and ground emergencies.

They also administer the Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard program bird scares to promote a safe flying environment and conduct braking action tests in the winter to ensure aircraft have proper traction to stop during inclement weather.

According to the Air Force Safety Center website, the BASH team's goal is the preservation of war-fighting capabilities through the reduction of wildlife hazards to aircraft operations. BASH teams handle anything concerning wildlife and aircraft operations, from hazard advisories to prevention to proper clean-up and collection should an incident occur.

Airfield management also manages the Airfield Driving Program for the 509th Bomb Wing. They oversee Unit Airfield Driving Program managers assigned by each squadron commander. UADPMs are responsible for training and certifying their personnel on airfield driving. The airfield manager or deputy airfield manager trains each UADPM and inspects each squadrons program annually to ensure they remain in compliance with local guidelines.

"We issue all flight line driving tests for everyone who needs to drive on the flightline," Airman Carson said. "We've issued more than 280 flight line driving tests since April."

With more than 70 aircraft assigned, the mission generates many daily sorties," he said. "It is our job to manage the airfield which enables aircraft to take off and accomplish the mission." Airman Carson said.

"Few Airmen shoulder the amount of responsibility that airfield management Airmen do," said Capt. Donald Roley, 509th OSS Airfield Operations flight commander. "In the course of a normal shift, they could brief the base commander about airfield construction affecting flights, handle an in-flight emergency that involves lives and billion dollar assets and liaise with the Department of Agriculture on the best way to remove a wildlife hazard.

"We require our Airmen to perform at a level that far exceeds their rank and they consistently exceed our expectations," Captain Roley said.