Mobility Airman profile: Warrior of the North controls the sky over southern Iraq

Published March 24, 2011
By Staff Sgt. R. Michael Longoria
9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force -- Iraq Public Affairs

ALI AIR BASE, Iraq -- From arctic temperatures to scorching hot desert, an air traffic controller from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., has seen drastic changes during his first deployment.

Senior Airman Allen Jones is deployed to the 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron and helps maintain the airspace above Ali Air Base, Iraq.

"I own the runway, and I control everything on it," said the New Wilmington, Pa., native. "I ensure all air traffic stays separated in the sky. The biggest thing is getting the pilot and aircraft on the ground safely."

After living three years just south of the Canadian border, the first thing Airman Jones noticed was the stark contrast in the two extreme climates.

"The biggest difference in weather is definitely the temperature," he said. "When I left Grand Forks the temperature, as I recall, was -15 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind chill was somewhere around -30. Now I'm in Iraq, and I've already seen 93 degrees, and it's only March."

However, the heat is not what makes Airman Jones sweat for eight hours a day; it's the hectic operations tempo. The Ali AB Tower directs nearly 5,000 flight operations a month as opposed to his home station's tower, which recently saw the departure of the base's last assigned KC-135 Stratotanker.

"It's higher paced here and we work on a complex airfield," he said. "On my very first day 18 helicopters called up at once. The helos where everywhere; I had no clue what to do. I was in the dark."

Days like his first day will become common place and, as he adjusts to the tempo, Airman Jones will play a huge part in the tower's success.

"The desert is unique; jets and helicopters will just show up on the radar asking to land on our runway," said Tech. Sgt. Roland Thomas, a tower supervisor deployed from Keesler AFB, Miss., and Ville Platte, La., native. "We need Airman Jones; his experience will really help."

Amidst the chaos, Airman Jones avoided any emergencies and maintained his perfect safety record with the help of his team.

"If I were to make a mistake while controlling traffic, my crewmates would have my back and there is usually ample time to fix any underachievement," he said. "We always have plenty of qualified people in the tower. Air traffic controllers are nosy people, so everyone is usually listening to what you are doing."

If Airman Jones or his team slipped up and planes collided in the air it would be catastrophic. The U.S. government would lose equipment worth millions of dollars, or even worse, the life of any pilots or passengers on board.

"If something really out of the ordinary, it's probably safe to assume the results would be tragic, but we don't let that happen," said the married father of one. "When it gets crazy, we just lean on our training and each other to get through it."

To maintain a safe flying environment, the entire tower team works together to keep the airspace separated, directing approaches, managing aircraft on the runway and clearing planes for takeoff and landing.

"You have to be able to think on your feet, and you have to be able to adapt," Airman Jones said. "It's an exciting job but it has its fair share of challenges."

Nearly four years after leaving the civilian world behind for a more exciting career field, Airman Jones has found a sense of accomplishment after enlisting into the Air Force and deploying to Iraq.

"I was still in high school when we started sending people over here," he said. "It's good knowing that I'm helping wrap things up and get our Service members home."

This deployment is opening the door to a new level of challenges for Airman Jones as well as a few rewarding opportunities he wasn't expecting. While he is not an air advisor, the warrior of the north shares his experiences with Iraqi air traffic controllers when he gets the chance.

"I like to share what knowledge I can," he said. "It's an amazing opportunity to watch the Iraqi controllers learn and take control of their own air space. This is what I enlisted to do. I wanted to come over here and help out with the effort in making Iraq a stronger nation."

With a handful of interactions, Airman Jones is supporting Operation New Dawn and helping the Government of Iraq become self-sufficient while developing a strategic partnership with the U.S.

"Interaction with Iraqi counterparts at the controller level directly contributes to the safe and effective transfer of air traffic control responsibilities," said Col. Russell Armstrong, Air Component Coordination Element -- Iraq senior airspace planner. "This is especially true at air bases like Ali, where tower controllers like Airmen Jones are tasked to manage large volumes of dissimilar aircraft. Airman Jones' ongoing effort to familiarize Iraqi controllers with our procedures ensures that high quality ATC service will continue after our departure."