Eyes on the sky

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Marissa Tucker
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Knowing thousands of people depend on your actions can be scary for some, but the air traffic controllers of radar approach and control accept the challenge without hesitation.

These air traffic controllers spend their days in the dark, monitoring glowing screens that show aircraft flying in and out of Seymour Johnson. From the ground up to 10,000 feet, RAPCON keeps an area spanning 875 square miles under control by setting up all aircraft departure and arrival sequences.

"Our Airmen save more people in a day than a doctor does in a year," said Tech. Sgt. Dora Diaz, an air traffic controller and watch supervisor with the 4th Operations Support Squadron. "It's a big responsibility and they handle it very well."

All this responsibility requires a lot of training. The Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration require all Air Force ATCs to complete mandatory training before they can direct air traffic. The process takes anywhere from 12 to 15 months, then Airmen receive on-the-job training until they have proven they can work alone.

"Work can get pretty intense sometimes," said Airman 1st Class Justin Lewelling, who recently finished the mandated training and now monitors a section of the airspace on his own. 

"The airspace we monitor is separated into six different sectors. Sometimes there's aircraft flying at different altitudes in the same area, so we have to closely monitor them to keep accidents from happening."

There are many different factors that determine how a work day goes, including aircraft malfunction, equipment failure and weather, which gives them the most trouble, Sergeant Diaz said.

"There really are no bad days here, but the weather is definitely a factor," she said. "We can't control it, so we work through it."

Airman Lewelling remembers when an aircraft's system malfunctioned and he had to talk the pilot through an emergency landing at a local airport.

"I knew we had to get this pilot landed safely or he and many other people could die" he said. "I used my training and we got him there. You really understand the severity of your job after you see that your actions just saved several lives."

The Airmen of RAPCON are silent heroes, saving thousands of people every day from potential accidents despite manning, equipment or other uncontrollable issues. With a constant flow of motivated Airmen, the skies at Seymour remain safe.