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Airman 1st Class Kevin Lietz, 18th Operation Support Squadron air traffic controller, looks over the Kadena flight line while waiting for an aircraft to land, June 7. Air traffic controllers go through extensive training so that they can help flight missions run smoothly and efficiently. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Brooke Beers)

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Controllers use the lighting panel to adjust lighting based on weather and visibility requirements as outlined by the Federal Aviation Administration, June 7. The blue buttons operate the taxiway lighting across the airfield and the large "T" handles operate the lights on the runway. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Brooke Beers)

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Senior Airman Ernesto Rivera, 18th Operation Support Squadron air traffic controller, talks to a pilot to help navigate him toward Kadena, June 7. Pilots often rely on Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) when there is little to no visibility and they need guidance. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Brooke Beers)

Air traffic controllers see bigger picture

Published June 8, 2011
By Airman 1st Class Brooke Beers
18th Wing Public Affairs

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Serving as an air traffic controller is one of the most stressful jobs in the Air Force, and being at Kadena couldn't make this any truer.

Because Kadena is one of the largest combat wings of the Pacific with its abundance of air frames and missions, these control tower- and radar-based Airmen are invaluable assets to every pilot who is either taking off from or putting their aircraft's wheels to the flight line.

With such a busy base, there is no room for an error - especially when lives are at stake.

"There are no time-outs to think about how to handle the situation, and there are no do-overs," said Senior Airman Rivera, 18th Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller. "You can't say you land the planes 99 percent of the time because that one percent could lead to potentially 100 or more deaths."

With this call for perfection, it's easy to imagine how much training the Airmen receive before being put in the "hot seat."

"We go through around a year of training from the time we go to technical school to completing on-the-job training," said Master Sgt. Bryan Herrington, noncommissioned officer in charge of Air Traffic Control. "Even after all the training, we have to re-qualify every time we move. The training is pretty extensive."

Coordinating flights from the tower and using Radar Approach Control, or RAPCON, ensures the safety of all pilots and passengers.

"Our priority is to separate aircraft, issue safety alerts and assist the pilots in navigation," Sergeant Herrington said. "We're there in case the pilot needs anything. We see a bigger picture than what the pilots see, so we can give them a better service for decision-making than just what they see through their window." "The pilots can only see so much," Airman Rivera said. "They have what's in front of them, and that's why they need us. We are constantly training so we can be the eyes and ears of those putting their lives on the line in the air."