Airmen Ensure Runway Safety

Master Sgt. George Sims (right) spends his day removing debris from the runway. That's not an easy or cut-and-dry job at the coalition's Tallil Air Base in Iraq. More than 1,600 pounds of debris has been removed from the airfield since November. Sergeant Sims is the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron airfield manager, deployed to Tallil from Langley Air Force Base (VA).
 
Sims works as aircraft come and go at Tallil. But without him, the aircraft will not come, and the aircraft will not go.

Sims and his fellow airmen drive more than 40 miles a day while inspecting the airfield to ensure aircraft can fly safely supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The purpose of airfield inspections is to guarantee flight safety by examining the condition of the runway, the bird activity around the airfield and anything else that might affect safe operation of aircraft and vehicles on the aerodrome, Sergeant Sims said.

A part of this process is checking for foreign objects that could damage aircraft. Since November, the airfield management team has removed more than 1,600 pounds of debris, he said.

"The ability to maintain a FOD-free environment at our permanent U.S. Air Force airfields has always been a significant undertaking," said Capt. Kirk Deitrich, 332nd EOSS airfield operations flight commander, deployed here from Columbus AFB (MS). "To accomplish that same task at a war-torn coalition airfield is the ultimate test of an airfield management team."

Like many other jobs, the airfield management process here is not necessarily handled the same as it is at home stations, Sergeant Sims said.

"Our biggest challenge is the lack of resources and time to ensure we accomplish our function in accordance with the standards we’re accustomed to at our home duty stations," Sergeant Sims said. "We cannot allow that fact to stop the mission, so we apply the best fix to a problem and add that item to our list of things to be completed correctly. There are nearly $5 million worth of construction projects that need to be accomplished on this airfield to bring it up to (Federal Aviation Administration) and U.S. Air Force standards."

Besides the airfield, taking care of flight plans for the aircraft is airfield management’s responsibility also. There are differences between here and the states in that aspect of the job as well.

"The main difference between the system we’re using here and home is it’s not handled by a civilian air traffic facility, it’s handled by military," said Staff Sgt. Shawn Smith, 332nd EOSS chief of airfield management, deployed here from Edwards AFB (CA). "The system here uses a template. It allows us more possibilities to change flight plans. You can’t do that at home. The system here is more malleable."

"Flexibility has become a huge part of airfield management’s mission here," Sergeant Sims said.

Regardless of stateside and area of responsibility differences, airfield management airmen make sure the job gets done, Sergeant Sims said.

"Every wing member typically arrives and leaves Tallil via aircraft," he said. "We help to provide and maintain the one resource that everyone depends on … the airfield."

ANN salutes Staff Sgt. Chris Stagner, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs, for contributing this story

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