JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDON, Alaska -- Although the sky may appear empty, there are thousands of aircraft flying at any given time. Air Traffic Controllers have an essential mission: to keep planes flying safely and ensure their safe return.
The controllers from the 3rd Operations Support Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson face unique challenges. They are in charge of managing a complex airspace with many adjacent facilities and the only base in the Pacific Air Force with intersecting runways.
“It is probably one of the most complex tower airspaces in the Air Force,” said Staff Sgt. Brennan Gettinger, an air traffic controller assigned to the 3rd OSS. “It’s very small, and we are surrounded on all sides by three different major airports.”
The airspace is adjacent to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Merril Field to the southwest, to the south by Lake Hood, and to the east by JBER’s Bryant Army Airfield. Final approach courses cross with these airports, requiring additional coordination to deconflict with JBER’s operations.
“We are also geographically limited in airspace due to the mountain terrain to the east,” said Master Sgt. Alex Riley, the chief controller assigned to the 3rd OSS. “There’s also a restricted area to the northeast of JBER that limits our operations when it’s active.”
These Airmen are responsible for numerous aircraft flying on a pattern at the same time and conduct simultaneous operations from both intersecting runways.
“We are responsible for every aircraft that we talk to,” said Gettinger. “It doesn't matter if it’s a little Cessna or a heavy C-17 [Globemaster III], we are responsible for every single one.”
Different from a civilian airport, military air traffic controllers use a Visual Flight Rules pattern to guide the airframes in and out of JBER.
“In most civilian airports, they don't use that,” said Gettinger. “It’s mostly airplanes coming in and landing, and airplanes departing, that's it; they’re not flying around in a tower pattern.
We have planes coming in left and right, and coming in to a full stop and departing at the same time.”
Air traffic controllers undergo extensive training to be able to handle this complex job. Before completing their training, they must learn the specifics of each of three positions they may need to cover - watch supervisor, local ground, and flight data, each in charge of a different aspect of air traffic control.
“You have to make sure that you're retaining the information that you get in training,” said Airman 1st Class Ean Holt, an air traffic controller assigned to the 3rd OSS.
Even though the job comes with many stressors, the ATC Airmen from the 3rd OSS said they are proud of what they do and being able to accomplish their mission each day.
“You tell somebody that you are an air traffic controller and they’re impressed,” said Holt. “And also it’s rewarding; every day you go up there and you know what you are doing has a specific mission impact.”