minnesota - Midwest Flyer

FLAMINGOS CONTINUED
Approximately one-third of the
controllers are also pilots. All of them
hold a second-class FAA medical certificate.
In addition to being able to
work in extremely busy conditions,
each of them has a knack for working
within a team. Team players are valuable
for good communications with
pilots, as well as rapport with other
controllers.
Two months prior to AirVenture,
study materials are sent to the chosen
controllers. The materials include
detailed job information as well as the
Notice to Airmen that pilots will
receive. The controllers rotate duties
daily and need to have a full understanding
of the entire scope of traffic
control before they report for duty in
July.
Four days before the event, the
controllers show up in Oshkosh and
their tour of duty begins. They get reacquainted
with one another and meet
those who are new, and settle in.
Three days before the event, the
controllers spend an entire day in a
classroom reviewing the materials
that had been sent to them, making
sure each person fully understands all
of the procedures, frequencies, traffic
flow; everything. And finally, there’s
a written test at the end of the day
that everyone must pass. Upon successful
completion, everyone is
awarded a stunning pink shirt with,
“Oshkosh Tower” written in large
black letters across the back.
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Assignments
All of the controllers are expected
to manage traffic at the Fisk arrival
point, from inside the tower, and on
the runways. The teams stay together,
regardless of what job they perform.
One day, they are The Men of Fisk;
the next day, the team becomes Tower
Controllers, and the next day they are
on the runways as either the Itinerant
Mobile Team or the Fly-By Mobile
Team. I asked a controller, “Which
position is best?” He replied, “I enjoy
them all; every one is a blast!”
During AirVenture, the tower is
the heart and soul of the airport. The
tower controllers are fed all incoming
traffic, VFR as well as IFR, and have
to get them on the runways. The controllers
are also responsible for dispatching
departures between arrivals.
It is a fine art to coordinate all the
planes. It isn’t unusual to process
more than 150 planes an hour during
peak times. The tower is staffed with
two tower controller teams to keep it
running smoothly.
The two mobile teams stand on the
runways – Itinerant Mobile on
Runway 9-27, Fly-By Mobile on
Runway 18-36. They communicate on
three levels: to the airplanes, to each
other, and to the tower. They share a
mobile command center, affectionately
referred to as, “Moo Cow.” The
Mobile controllers direct airplanes to
their parking area as they land, or to
the departure end of the runway if
they are on their way out. Due to their
close proximity to powered aircraft,
Mobile controllers need to stay highly
alert to all of the activity around
them. They keep an eye on what the
planes were doing as well as watch
out for each other. According to one
controller, “Their heads are on a
swivel at all times. They are constantly
looking for the normal and the
abnormal, something out of place.”
Two days before AirVenture's
opening ceremonies, the controllers
don their brilliant pink shirts and
teams take their positions. Planes
begin arriving en masse. Most of the
general aviation parking spots are full
by opening day, although a minor
exodus is expected each day following
the afternoon airshow.
When parking at OSH is full, arriving
planes are diverted to Appleton,
approximately 20 miles north, or Fond
du Lac, approximately 20 miles south.
A van service runs between the airports
to shuttle redirected pilots and their
passengers. During the nine days of
AirVenture, more than 10,000 planes
arrive and depart, with concentration of
the activity at the front and back ends
of the event.
Are They For Real?
Talking to the “Flamingo” Men of
Fisk the day before AirVenture
closed, I learned that the incredible
task of safely managing an immense
volume of air traffic is done by real
people who are really talented and
really committed. They come from all
over the country and have a variety of
backgrounds. There was “Dan” from
Chicago O’Hare and “Harry” from
Youngstown, Ohio, both rookies,
working their first year at AirVenture.
There was “Mike” from Ft. Smith,
Ark., who was working his second
year at the event and “Rick” from
Evansville, Ind., a veteran in his
eighth year. This team was led by
“John,” a tower controller at
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26 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2007