Air traffic controllers keep sky safe

Photo By Lance Cpl. Andrea Cleopatra Dickerson | Marines in the control tower observe everything taking place inside and outside of the tower. It is important that the ATC Marines are always there for each other while on the job, everything they do effects each other and mission accomplishment, said Lance Cpl. Perez. He also said, each air traffic controller plays an integral part in the flight line's overall operations.  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, UNITED STATES

10.06.2011

Story by Pfc. Andrea Cleopatra Dickerson 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - At any given time, day or night, one may hear the sounds of aircraft taking off from Cherry Point runways. But what if the air traffic controllers weren’t there to do their jobs? Pilots would then have to rely on their own eyes and communication with others to safely navigate the flight line, runways and local skies – which would make flying much riskier in Cherry Point’s busy and congested airspace.

“Our unit’s mission is the safe, orderly and expeditious flight of aircraft,” said air traffic controller Staff Sgt. Casey S. Chandler. “We want to move them as fast as we can, as safe as we can. But we want to also prevent collisions between the aircraft. We organize and expedite the flow of traffic.”

The control tower is manned by Marines and contracted civilians 24 hours a day, with the exception of holidays. If those Marines are late for work or do not show up for work, they are potentially risking people’s lives.

On the ground side of their operations, the tower is responsible for guiding aircraft down the runway until takeoff. The control tower also has a radar room that watches over 5,300 square miles of airspace surrounding the air station that goes up to an altitude of approximately 17,999 feet, said ATC tower chief Gunnery Sgt. Christopher N. Hearn. The tower also provides air traffic control services to aircraft going into Coastal Carolina Regional t in New Bern, N.C., and Michael J. Smith Field in Beaufort, N.C.

“Everybody plays an important part here. We have multiple manned positions. There is specific training and qualifications for each position. Every Marine is an asset because they are trained to work multiple positions,” said Chandler. The main positions up in the tower are flight data, ground control, local control and tower supervisor.

“We are important because people’s lives are in our hands,” said air traffic controller Lance Cpl. Justin T. Perez. “Pilots rely on us, especially when they can only see 100 feet in front of them due to bad weather, and they have to land on the runway because they are running out of fuel.”

Hearn explains how air traffic controllers are pilots’ eyes in the skies, explained Hearn. It is their job to ensure that aircraft don’t collide. They use separate aircraft to operate in a National Airspace System and provide safety alerts to the pilots as well. During periods of low visibility and inclement weather, the tower guides pilots to safety. Hearn said he feels that it is their duty as air traffic controllers to always be at work, and to be there on time, because anything could happen at any given time. They are responsible for ensuring safety.

Every Marine that works at the tower knows the importance of being reliable. When it comes to showing up at work, there is no room for error.

“We deal with aircraft that carry troops and supplies over to Afghanistan,” said Perez. “If we weren’t here for work, they wouldn’t be able to get there.”

• Date Taken: 10.06.2011
• Date Posted: 10.06.2011 16:50
• Story ID: 78144
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US