Guiding flyers out and back

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Morgan
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The life of a single flight begins at take-off and ends with landing. Different airframes have different systems to aid them getting from the beginning of flight to the end. However, one system all airframes share from take-off to landing is the air traffic control centers around the world.

The 436th Operations Support Squadron Airfield Operations Flight air traffic controllers control all flights in a radius 2,200 square miles wide, almost twice the size of Rhode Island, and  from sea level to 7,000 feet in the air. They control all of this airspace with two separate but interconnected operations, the Control Tower and the Radar Approach Control.

All flights taking-off from Dover Air Force Base, Del., begin with the ground operations crew leading all planes and vehicles to the correct position for take-off. Ground
operations are operated by the ground controller in the Control Tower. Next, the aircraft is transferred to the local control position, which most pilots know as "Dover Tower". Once cleared for take-off, the mission is eyes-on the plane, looking for anything going wrong.

"We have a wide variety of traffic taking-off and landing at Dover AFB," said Senior Airman Steven Breedlove, 436 OSS air traffic controller. "We get anything from Learjets to Boeing 747s and, of course, the military air traffic."

Once the plane takes-off and leaves a 5-mile radius around Dover AFB, the RAPCON takes over control. The ATCs of RAPCON sit in a dark room with six radar screens and wear headsets tethered to a control board. These controllers, split into teams, monitor the middle portion of flight in Dover AFB RAPCON's area of operations. On a busy day, there can be one team per 15 aircraft.

More than 75 percent of the air traffic is civilian aircraft, said Staff Sgt. Kyle Posey, 436 OSS RAPCON watch supervisor. Sergeant Posey is responsible for the safety of all aircraft in the operational area during his shift.

This responsibility includes keeping aircraft in one of eight airways, which are basically highways in the sky, more than four miles wide. Once the aircraft is within 10 miles of landing in Dover AFB's RAPCON area, it is the responsibility of the pilot to contact the Control Tower.

The landing process is the reverse of take-off. The local controller guides the plane to the correct runway and the ground controller leads the plane to its parking spot.

Air traffic control technical training is more than four months long, however, they do not become rated until they attain their five-skill level. This means anywhere along the journey to being rated controllers can be dropped from the program. For the duration of an ATC career, members are required to take monthly proficiency tests, both written and simulation. The rigorous standards do not go unnoticed, reenlistment bonuses can reach up to $90,000.

"Some wash out because of high stress and fear," said Sergeant Posey. "However, I find my job extremely rewarding."