Air Traffic Control soars above the competition

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rochelle Clace
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  The 19th Operation Support Squadron Air Traffic Control was selected as the Air Mobility Command's Air Traffic Control Facility of the Year. 

"The award is given to an Air Traffic Control team at a particular unit that has made a notable contribution to the quality, safety or procedural development of the Air Traffic 

Control system; outstanding handling of an unusual traffic workload, emergency situations, deployments or exercises; and sustained efficiency in air traffic control as recognized by users of the service," said Capt. David Repp, 19th Operations Support Squadron airfield operations flight operations officer. 

The tower team was able to accomplish these criteria by conducting normal operations to achieve the Little Rock Air Force Base mission. 

The base is the world's largest C-130 base and has the busiest Air Force Air Traffic Control Tower in the U.S., accruing more than 137,000 annual aircraft operations. 

"Being the busiest tower is not an automatic award winner. The command looks at the whole picture and everything the facility has accomplished that year before making its decision," said Captain Repp. 

Among the team's many significant achievements, Little Rock AFB's air traffic controllers controlled 46 sorties, more than 69,000 pounds of cargo, 52 passengers for Hurricane Ike relief and 83 passengers and 93,000 pounds of cargo for Hurricane Gustav victims. They also earned the Air Education and Training Command's Well Done Safety Award for night vision goggles and air traffic control procedures, and were noted as an Air Force best practice during an Operational Readiness Inspection. 

The leadership of the Air Traffic Control team expressed how proud they were in winning the award. 

"With the conversion to AMC in October, we had only been in the command for three months before this award was due, so it was a big achievement to win," he said. 

"I am extremely proud of the men and women of the control tower. This is such a prestigious award and there was some stiff competition throughout AMC, not to mention we were new to the command," said Master Sgt. Allan Turk, 19th Operations Support Squadron control tower chief controller. 

"Our air traffic controllers, military and civilian alike, are the reason this award was so easy to win," said Captain Repp. "They do an outstanding job day in and day out to ensure safe operations in the air and on the ground." 

"Without the dedication of the controllers, both military and civilian and the quality of work they do every day, this award wouldn't have been possible," said Sergeant Turk.