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Airfield Management on overdrive during RIMPAC

  • Published
  • By Capt. Joe Blubaugh
  • 190th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  Parking normally isn't an issue for aircraft visiting JBPHH, but that isn't the case during the Rim of the Pacific exercise being conducted here. Throughout the month of July - RIMPAC officially ends on Aug. 3, 2012 - the 15th Wing will average an extra 55 sorties per day. That's on top of the approximately 30 sorties that fly from here on an average weekday.

The extra aircraft on the ramp, as well as the personnel that support them, has brought several unique challenges to the 15th Wing Airfield Operations Flight says Master Sgt. Jon Green, airfield manager. One of the first challenges was finding enough parking spaces for the influx of aircraft participating in the exercise.

"We also had to make sure that we parked the aircraft in a manner that would make it efficient for the maintainers," said Green.

The increased number of aircraft has also added to the number of flight plans the aviators file with the Airfield Management operations section. The flight plans must then be checked for accuracy and filed with the Honolulu air traffic control center.

With the added personnel and aircraft also comes an additional focus on safety. Green said his staff spent extra time training each visiting driver on flightline procedures. They also do extra checks to make sure safety is the top priority during the exercise. "We perform random inspections to make sure maintainers are abiding by airfield rules."

Working through the challenges took maximum coordination between Airfield Management and three local partners - the Federal Aviation Administration, the Honolulu Airport Authority and the Hawaii Air National Guard.

"Having all the extra fighter aircraft has been a large challenge for the civilian authorities," he said. "We have been in continuous communications with them, both leading up to and during the exercise. We have worked as a team to make sure the exercise is a success."

Green says a strong partnership with the various airfield support agencies has also been crucial, not only for the exercise, but also to sustain the existing Hickam missions. "They are doing an excellent job supporting the missions and the exercise. We haven't had any large issues and no significant negative impacts."

All the extra challenges and extra hours does have a payoff for the Airfield Operations team said Green. "RIMPAC is an excellent opportunity to work with several different countries as well as the Navy. It's a great opportunity to learn their systems," he added.

Another benefit for Green's team is the experience they are gaining from working with the fighter community and helicopter operations. Normally focused on large aircraft, Green says they had to establish arming and dearming areas on the airfield for forward firing ordinance, as well as a helicopter landing point and parking location. Both were non standard operations for the 15th Wing.

He also expects the exercise to payoff long term for his younger Airmen. "They have gained invaluable experience working with other organizations and foreign nations," said Green. "My expectation is that they will be able to take this experience on to their next duty station and be leaders in those organizations."