Deployed Team Dover controllers direct aircraft in Iraqi sky

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Four of Team Dover's air traffic controllers are currently deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, where they are serving in two work centers whose job is to track, direct and prioritize every single aircraft flying over the central Iraqi skies.

Senior Airmen Josiah Clark, James Crouch, Aaron Pollitte and Aaron Portmann, 436th Operations Support Squadron air traffic controllers, are deployed to the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron at Balad. Airmen Clark and Crouch are performing duties in the Balad Control Tower and Airmen Pollitte and Portmann are working in the Combined Enroute Radar Approach Control.

"Balad tower controls all air traffic within five nautical miles of the base from the surface to 3,000 feet, and the CERAP controls approximately 75,000 square miles of airspace across all of central Iraq," said Chief Master Sgt. Sean Stevenson, 436th Operations Support Squadron chief controller, who recently returned from a deployment to Balad.
"The air traffic controllers deployed to Balad are doing an incredible job under very trying conditions.

"The traffic volume at Balad doesn't match the numbers of a Chicago O'Hare or Atlanta airport, but then again at those places you have six to eight runways to choose from, all your aircraft are flying a known flight path, operating at approximately the same airspeed, with metered distances between successive arrivals," said Chief Stevenson.

At Balad, it isn't unusual to mix an F-16 flying at a high speed with a Predator coming in at a much slower speed interspersed with C-130s, IL-76s and a few dozen helicopters, said the chief.

"Mixing aircraft with such diverse performance differences is like throwing a VW Bus on the Dover speedway alongside of Tony Stewart and Jimmy Johnson," he said.

In terms of aircraft movements, the base hosts the busiest aerial port operation and busiest airfield in the DoD, said Chief Stevenson. Air operations can occasionally exceed 500 per eight-hour shift and are regularly over 22,000 per month.

Since Airmen with meticulous attention to detail are needed to staff the tower and CERAP, Airmen Clark, Crouch, and Pollitte were the perfect choice for this deployment.

Airman Clark, who hails from Dayton, Ohio, knows the chief has confidence in their abilities and understands what rests in their hands.

"The operations we perform as air traffic controllers here are critical to the success and efforts of almost every single aspect of the operations," said Airman Clark. "Anything that operates in the sky passes through our hands and our ability to safely and expeditiously service aircraft plays a vital role in many of the missions here."

Sometimes, the pressure of being a junior-ranking controller can be stressful, said Airman Clark. Still, he is happy to be able to make a difference.

"On a daily basis, situations arise where I am faced with difficult decisions that have a large impact on the mission as a whole," said Airman Clark. "The air space here is the most complex and volatile in the world. Being able to perform (my duties) in this environment is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity - here, all controllers are pushed to our limits."

"I know I have been given the responsibility of safeguarding the pilots, aircraft and passengers of all aircraft that transition in and out of Balad," he continued. "Given the nature and volume of air traffic, combined with the constant anti-aircraft attacks by insurgents, there is a very small margin for error. When things go bad with aircraft, people die."

Air traffic controllers are aware of their responsibilities, said Airman Clark. Additionally, controllers are key to getting airpower in the sky rapidly when service members on the ground are threatened.

"The speed at which we get the jets in the air is critical in mission success," he said. "It is about the survival of troops on the ground. This motivates me to do my best."

Since the flight schedules are sporadic and emergency missions are a common occurrence, the air traffic controllers have to be prepared for anything at anytime. They must be ready to make crucial decisions quickly to avoid devastating incidents.

"One minute everything will be calm with one or two planes in the area, the next all hell breaks loose as 12 aircraft show up at the same time," said Senior Airman Patrick Peregoy, a fellow 332nd EOSS air traffic controller. "You learn to quickly adapt to different situations."

With such importance placed on air missions at Balad AB, it is vital for planes to take off and land quickly and safely.

"These four Team Dover Airmen are perfect for this deployment," said Chief Stevenson. "They are all highly proficient at their jobs. We wouldn't have dreamed of sending them to such a complex airfield and traffic-dense environment if they weren't up for the challenge. No doubt, they will continue performing magnificently at controlling combat airpower over the skies of Iraq."

( Army Spc. Jay Venturini contributed to this article)