Base builds local bonds in air

TRAVIS AFB, CA, UNITED STATES

05.06.2016

Story by 2nd Lt. Geneva Giaimo 

60th Air Mobility Wing

Airmen at Travis Air Force Base, California, are fortunate to work with community members proud to support Travis, Air Mobility Command and the Air Force. This support is not limited to events on the ground, as the Travis air control tower frequently controls civilian aircraft within the base's airspace.

The airspace serviced by Travis Radar Approach Control, who in the past year communicated with 137,052 aircraft averaging 375 a day, is used by military and civilian aircraft transiting from eight local airports.

On April 15, a team of Travis Airmen from the 60th Air Mobility Wing Safety Office briefed civilian pilots from the Mount Diablo Pilots Association about the Travis Collision Avoidance Program.

Developed by Capt. Patterson Hill, 60th AMW flight safety officer, the program focuses on preventing potential mishaps.

"We noticed that there was an increase in Hazardous Air Traffic Reports over the past year, occurring any time two aircraft come within 500 feet of each other," Hill said. "Over half of these involved civilian aircraft which were not in communication with RAPCON."

Between 2010 and 2014, the yearly average for HATR's was less than four. In 2015, that number increased to eight. Something had to change.

"This is frightening as a pilot," Hill said. "When there is an aircraft in the airspace not in communication with RAPCON we will hear 'traffic, 10 o'clock 2 miles out at X altitude.' At this point it becomes our responsibility to look out the window and hope we don't hit them."

"The point of our program is to go to different civilian airports and talk to pilots about what we do in our airspace," Hill said. "Previously, we would go to these airports and drop off pamphlets, maybe speaking to one or two pilots. By attending meetings with pilots we can speak to 30 to 40 of pilots who talk to RAPCON weekly."

Hill and his team emphasized the importance of pilots contacting Travis approach and ensuring their transponders are on when entering the area.

"We spent about 10 minutes briefing the pilots, and about 45 minutes answering questions the pilots had," Hill said. "We were asked a broad range of questions, from what missions we fly to what our cargo capabilities are worldwide."

"We like having civilian pilots curious about the mission and interested in our airspace," Hill said. "We love it when they contact our controllers, as it helps keep everybody in the air safe in such a busy location. While our mission is to provide total global mobility with our C-5M Galaxy II, C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10A Extender, we also have a variety of other aircraft frequenting our airspace, flying in a variety of directions, airspeeds and altitudes."

Hill believes the relationship built between Travis and pilots in the local area will be beneficial.

"Ideally in the future, all pilots get in touch with Travis approach, and turn on their transponder so that we can see their exact location, airspeed and altitude," Hill said. "By doing something as simple as these steps, we can decrease incidents and enjoy flying."

If you have any questions about flying in the Travis area, contact the 60th AMW Flight Safety Office at [phone] / 5437.

• Date Taken: 05.06.2016
• Date Posted: 05.06.2016 13:36
• Story ID: 197535
• Location: TRAVIS AFB, CA, US