Air Traffic Controller: Calm under pressure

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kristof J. Rixmann
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  According to Senior Master Sgt. Garret Miller, 86th Operations Support Squadron control tower chief controller, March 1, 2017-Sept. 30, 2017 air traffic controllers succeeded in completing more than 11,000 aircraft operations on Ramstein Air Base.

The past six months were the busiest times for air traffic controllers but this team remained calm despite the stress this many aircraft operations could have caused.

“When it comes to stress, we consider our job to be just like any other job in the Air Force,” said Miller. “When you’ve had the proper training and you know what you’re doing it’s not very stressful. There are busy moments and stressful situations at times but our team handles it very well.”

However, there are several variables on this air field that could make an inexperienced air traffic controller considerably stressed. Construction projects on the air field resumed, and extra coordination was required with other units working on the air field to ensure flights remain on time.

Despite construction changing routes taken by planes to take off or land, there were no delays in flights throughout this time period and the mission continued as planned.

“Any time the weather is decent, specifically through spring, summer, and early fall we have significant limitations,” said TSgt Rob Hasslinger, 86th OSS air traffic control watch supervisor. “There are physical limitations on the airfield because of the construction but the mission doesn’t stop so we don’t allow it to slow us down. We are tasked with working around those limitations on an immediate case by case basis for every single airplane. We have to figure a way around these limitations to allow other people to do their job.”

These limitations, however challenging, offer good learning opportunities for Airmen just getting out of technical training school and for supervisors to further develop their own leadership skills.

“One of the interesting things here is that our on the job training load increased due to the high influx of new Airmen coming in from technical training school to replace Airmen that will be PCSing next year,” said Miller. “Our tower is a great tower to learn how to be an air traffic controller due to the complexity of the airfield, the construction underway, vehicles and agencies that these Airmen need to learn how to coordinate with so they can think two or three steps ahead at all times.”

As a lasting remark, Miller does not believe stress affects the morale for air traffic controllers.

“I don’t believe stress has an impact on our morale,” said Miller. “Our morale has to do with our comradery. Typically what you’ll find with air traffic controllers is that we’re a very tight knit group of people. We’re also very tight knit with our opposite facility partners as well, such as ground controlled approach and airfield management so that relationship is really good for not only morale but our efficiency as well.”