Photo By Jason Bortz | Air Traffic Controllers working on Sherman Airfield, NAS Pensacola are monitoring and...... read more read more
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by 2nd Lt. Ana C. Chiu
NAS PENSACOLA, Florida --- It is 8 a.m. in the morning on Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, the skies are bright and there is a student aviator and their instructor on the runway preparing to take off in a TW-6.
For this student aviator, their day is likely just beginning, but for the air operations department, the work has never stopped. There are many moving parts that are happening before an aircraft can taxi, take off or land. The aircraft must be checked, washed and refueled. Air traffic controllers have been working in their tower and Dean Fields, airfield manager, and his crew have driven the length of all six runways to ensure that they are clear and free of any damage.
NAS Pensacola’s Air Operations Department is divided into six sections; Tower, Ground Electronics, Transient Line, Gear Department, Safety, and Airfield Management. Tower, home of air traffic control, ensures the safe conduct of flight operations within the local airspace. Ground Electronics maintains electronics and electrical systems on the airfield. Transient Line provides a wide range of support for air operations from towing and refueling to guiding aircraft. The Gear Department manages and maintains important gear for the airfield. Safety ensures everything is up to code to include the buildings in use. Lastly, Airfield Management ensures the good order and maintenance of anything that occurs on the airfield. In layman's terms anything aviation related, Air Operations have a hand in it.
The department is made up of over 100 men and women both military and civilian that assist in the continuous upkeep of the airfield and all of its equipment. Of the civilians that work on this airfield, most are retired military. At the head of NAS Pensacola’s Air Operations Department is Cmdr. Jerry “Jelly” Higgins, air operations officer, NAS Pensacola from South Dakota has served in many billets such as an aircrewman, to pilot and chief of combat operations in Qatar.
After overseeing, supervising and working with the different sections he states that “The members of my department are very hard workers. They are a great team to work with.”
Maintaining an airfield and its equipment is no small task. As Higgins stated, “Between foreign object debris (FOD) on the field, grass cutting, runway maintenance, ensuring equipment is working and all the other things that require our attention, the most challenging aspect of what we do here is maintenance.”
The members of the Air Operations Department work around the clock to ensure that operations continue smoothly and student aviators continue to train. The wear and tear that occurs be it time, weather, environment or the dozens of flights that occur every day requires an effective and hard working crew to ensure operations continue smoothly and student aviators continue to train. Scott Magee, flight line manager, has had extensive experience in the air operations industry since he was 18. Out of the previous positions held at various locations, he says this one, by far, is his favorite.
“It’s working with people here; the student aviators, the instructors and watching them fly everyday that makes this job the best.”
The airfield is a dynamic, busy environment that requires proficiency from those who work there. Just this past year, in 2021, NAS Pensacola’s Air Operations Department assisted in over 46,000 successful and mishap free flight operations. Some operations included in these statistics are civilian flights, air force paradrop operations and Blue Angel practices.
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2022 14:43 |
| Story ID: | 428423 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 850 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, A Look at NAS Pensacola’s Air Operations, by Jason Bortz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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