INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey—Imagine that you are a pilot trying to land an aircraft in bad weather. There is thick fog all around you, eclipsing the view of the airfield below.
The air traffic controllers will help you touch down on the runway without crashing, but who do they rely on to ensure their equipment doesn’t fail?
This is where Radar Airfield and Weather Systems Airmen come in. As the name suggests, these highly-trained technicians are responsible for maintaining radars, airfield communications, weather equipment and navigational aids. They also provide communications support for missions coming in and out of their assigned airfield.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Nolan Klose, 39th Operations Support Squadron RAWS non-commissioned officer in charge, described his shop as a vital component to the operations of any Air Force base.
“Theoretically, we could paint the cockpit windows black and still help you land safely,” he said. “We serve as a bridge between the pilots and air traffic controllers to ensure operations remain smooth.”
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Dylan Swanier, 39th OSS RAWS supervisor, added that the task of a RAWS Airman can be simplified as a fusion of communications and maintenance. Although they may not maintain aircraft, they do maintain the weather equipment needed to keep operations running.
“Weather is an important aspect for pilots completing the Air Force mission to fly, fight and win because it has an enormous effect on the instruments they use,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Zacharaiah Holloway, 39th OSS weather forecaster. “These guys need to know weather conditions in order to go, cancel, or delay the mission. Because RAWS maintain the weather sensor, making it operational, our weather observation and relay is faster and more accurate.”
Although for some the demands of the job might be a lot to internalize, Swanier said he enjoys his job and believes the rewards outweigh the risks.
“To know that my colleagues and I have such a significant impact on operations is truly amazing,” he said. “I know that no matter what we do every day, we really support the mission.”