Photo By Lance Cpl. Elizabeth Gallagher | U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jared K. Stone, left, commanding officer, Marine Corps Air...... read more read more
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[MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, ARIZONA] - Civilians working at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma Air Traffic Control (ATC) are recognized and awarded for their time, effort and dedication to the completion of the El Centro expansion project at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, Aug. 15, 2024.
The project's primary aim was to establish a reliable and efficient use of the acquired airspace over the Imperial Valley and its surrounding airports and special use airspace with the intent to control it under one central location of MCAS Yuma, this is beneficial for safety and military training.
This expansion project included the acquisition of airspace in negotiation with multiple air traffic control agencies such as the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center, Mazatlan Air Traffic Control and the El Centro Navy Airfield (NAF) located in California.
Retired U. S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant Matthew Danque, who currently serves as the Training and Standardization Officer at MCAS Yuma ATC explains, “we had a very tight window of six months for a project that probably would have taken about three years. We were able to achieve it with the right people and the right teams on both sides of the negotiation table in less than six months.”
As a result of obtaining this new airspace, it allows MCAS Yuma’s air traffic management system to ensure the safety of both military and civilian aircraft.
Mr. Danque said, “the reason why the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of the Navy was as interested as they were in supporting the acquisition of that airspace is to facilitate safety of naval aviation in and out of NAF (Navy Air Facility) El Centro and preserve training space for naval aviator training.”
Not only does this assist in the safety of personnel but it also helps control and confine military operations, training and fights that would take place within restricted areas.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Andrew Dykes, who currently operates as the Airspace Chief at MCAS Yuma ATC explains, “by acquiring this air space it allowed us to provide support to the naval air facilities as well as allowing our squadrons here to conduct training further west than they normally would have been able to.”
MCAS Yuma is often referred to as the ‘heart of aviation,’ with access to more than one million acres of bombing and aviation-training ranges. MCAS Yuma supports 80 percent of the Corps' air-to-ground aviation training. The air station is home to a number of tenant units, including Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MAWTS-1), Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) and Marine Aircraft Group 13 (MAG-13).
Now that a new amount of airspace has been secured by MCAS Yuma, we can continue to utilize the airspace to the fullest. Similarly, to MCAS Yuma, the El Centro airspace is known for its sunny and stable weather which allows for a more consistent and reliable training schedule.
Mr. Dykes explains the significance of how Yuma expands the amount of airspace communication the tower conducts, which is something that other military ATC towers wouldn’t normally do. He says, “Yuma is really the first of what you could call an ‘air route traffic control center’ in the military. We are providing a big regional presence. That's pretty significant, not only for the training of the military pilots, but it's also a big deal for our controllers and the Marines to get a level of experience that they're not really getting anywhere else other than here in Yuma.”
It is important to note that this project has been developing since 2008. A recent opportunity arose that allowed the MCAS Yuma ATC team to secure this airspace. The tireless dedication of Mr. Danque and Mr. Dykes played a pivotal role in bringing this project to fruition. Their years of ATC experience, commitment to excellence, innovative thinking and problem-solving abilities ensured the success of this expansion project.
Mr. Danque served as a Marine air traffic controller for 20 years and has been working on the project for roughly six years. For his tireless efforts, Mr. Danque received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Additionally, Mr. Dykes received the Civilian Service Commendation Medal for his work and another ATC employee, Mr. Gary Baire, received the Civilian Service Achievement Medal for his contributions to the El Centro expansion project.
Mr. Danque had this to say about receiving this award, “thank you to all of the MCAS Yuma Air Traffic Controllers that quickly adapted to the new requirements and provide the day to day safety in our assigned airspace.”
They not only met the requirements but also exceeded expectations which resulted in these commendatory awards.
Mr. Dykes shares his aspirations for future expansion by stating, “Yuma being successful in doing this is almost like a proof of concept for the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) when it comes to all military facilities. When Yuma shows that there can be smaller, more localized negotiations, there's a confidence in the military that, yes, they can do this, because we've seen them do it at Yuma.”
To learn more information about the installation please visit: https://www.mcasyuma.marines.mil/
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2024 13:01 |
| Story ID: | 478969 |
| Location: | YUMA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 201 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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