MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (July 31, 2013) -- A man stands with arms akimbo, peering out toward the horizon through a large window in a tower beside a slate grey airstrip. His name is Wayne Wimsett, air traffic controller supervisor for Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, and he’s expecting company.
Adjacent to Wimsett, Marines adjust their headsets and glean information from monitors about an approaching behemoth occasionally squawking for guidance from miles away. They key their microphones and relay information without delay.
“She’s about nine miles out,” said one of the Marines, looking up from his monitor to get eyes on the visitor who ought to be in visible range on such a clear summer day.
“And there she is: to the east,” shouted another, pointing to a thin blip gliding along in the cloudless sky. “Right where she should be.”
The six wide, waist-to-ceiling windows of the tower give the air traffic controllers the 360- degree birds-eye-view of the “birds” they guide in.
Down four flights of stairs, in the dimly lit radar room, five more people track not only the incoming C-17 Globemaster III, but all air traffic inside and approaching the base’s 20-mile-wide area of responsibility. They’ve avoided any conflicts and C-17 “66” was right on schedule, according to their instruments.
Back in the tower, Wimsett turns at the waist to see their guest, and then keyed his headset. “66, you’re cleared for final approach on runway Charlie.”
The Globemaster III, a large but nimble military cargo aircraft, steadily pitched into a wide teardrop turn, swooped around the airfield to get in line with the runway, then carefully roared down to the strip to a halt. It’s yet another successful touch down at the MCAF.
The air facility’s Marines and civilians make the job look easy with constant communication and seamless cooperation between sections, but the skills they use in such a high stakes occupation have been honed by many hours of training and preparation done internally by their own Marines.
“From day one we’re in a race to get our Marines up to speed,” said Staff Sgt. Cole Nason, training chief for MCAF. “We have to get them qualified in so many aspects of the field to make them even basic assets to the unit.”
The basic qualifications, called “baby quals” in passing, include the radar and tower qualifications, and can take from three to six months of training to earn. Earning his baby quals allows a Marine to serve, with supervision, at different positions in the three sections of the unit – radar, tower and communications.
Intermediate and advanced qualifications, called “major quals,” can take nine to 11 months to earn. Marines with major quals are able to perform a wider range of duties.
Each qualification maintains standards set forward by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“If a Marine isn’t qualified to do a job, then we can’t and won’t put him in a position where he may potentially fail. The potential for disaster is already bad enough,” Nason said. “Also, it’s important we get everyone on the same page so our Marines aren’t stuck in one or two positions because there isn’t another able to man a particular post.”
To avoid potential mistakes by fatigued air traffic controllers and radarmen, MCAF places limits on how long their Marines can work over extended periods of time. Once Marines begin their shifts, it is a race against the clock to fit classes, simulation time, certification testing, and live training into the day, all while maintaining an operational airfield.
“It’s a unique problem we face,” said Nason. “By the time we get a new Marine completely spun up and prepared for every position we offer, he is well into his career and about to move somewhere else. It’s a constant battle to keep our standards up, but we always do it because so much lies on the line.”
According to David Crawford, an air traffic controller for MCAF, MCB Quantico has many types of airspace which ATC monitors who’s in and around.
“There’s more than just one tier to our 20-mile [area of operation],” said Crawford, pointing out the boundaries of the base in a complex web of light on a radar monitor. “We’re responsible for up to 3,000 feet above the ground, we have to keep aircraft separated a minimum of 1,000 feet vertically and keep aircraft dispersed at least 3 miles laterally.”
With air traffic to Quantico flying at a minimum altitude of 1,800 feet, separated 1,000 feet vertically, and separated by 3 miles laterally, there’s not much air space to work with, according to Crawford.
There is even less space when factoring in military operation airspaces – such as The Basic School training grounds to the west, restricted operation airspaces – such as Marine Helicopter Squadron One’s over the airfield, and the Special Flight Rules Airspace which extends 30 miles out from the heart of Washington, D.C., and overlaps a northern portion of the base.
“Nowhere else in the Marine Corps do we have to deal with such a complex airspace,” said Andrew Giammerino, communications supervisor for MCAF. “So the bottom line is our Marines have to be on the ball ten times out of ten.”
MCAF also has their own internal maintenance section, where preventive maintenance and repairs are performed on mission critical instruments such as radar monitors, radios and receivers.
“We make sure the air traffic controllers have everything they need and all of their bases are covered,” said Cpl. Benjamin Stricker, assistant radar work center supervisor for MCAF. “Some of these instruments are over 40 years old, so in the case something goes down we have backups for backups.”
While constantly training their small staff, completing various Marine Corps requirements, and dealing with a high turnover rate, the Marines and civilians at the Marine Corps Air Facility find a way to maintain the most complex airspace in the Marine Corps by being mentally tough despite the pressures of their positions.
“We haven’t had a major accident in a long time,” said Nason. “So we’re doing something right and we’ll keep doing that.”