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As frigid winter weather ices down everything in its path, flightline operations on Ramstein must continue.
The 86th Operations Support Squadron and the 435th Civil Engineer Squadron work hand-in-hand to ensure mission success during the winter months.
Upon the first signs of winter weather, airfield management alerts the
supporting units and prepares for winter operations.
“We’re a 24/7 operation,” said Staff Sgt. Lee Grundmann, 86th OSS Airfield Management. “Winter ops on the flightline start with us. Our job is to recognize the situation and get it solved quickly so aircraft can continue to take off and land.”
While some winter conditions are more visible than others, airfield management crews must know exactly what’s going on with the airfield at all times so they won’t pass along false information.
“Our shop is equipped with several different types of equipment which aid us in calculating the condition of the airfield,” Sergeant Grundmann said.
A small machine that produces a runway condition reading is used to give airfield management crews an accurate number assigned to the condition capabilities of the pavement. A 19 or above indicates a wet runway while a nine or below means there are some aircraft unable to take off.
As weather conditions fluctuate, it is important for airfield management crews to keep an accurate log of their readings during every airfield check.
“We generally operate with a checklist each time we go out to investigate the status of the airfield,” Sergeant Grundmann said. “Everything on our list must be checked off before returning to the shop to relay our findings.”
Accuracy and judgment play a major role in the job of the airfield management crews, who are the first to assess the airfield.
“We make a lot of judgment calls. If we’re not accurate in our convictions, it could result in a mishap leading to non-mission success,” Sergeant Grundmann said.
While winter ops starts with airfield management, the icy task doesn’t stop there. The 435th CES plays a critical role as well. Snow control crews and sweeper shop personnel operate heavy equipment, such as snow plows and brush trucks to clear snow and ice off of runways, priority roads and aircraft parking ramps.
“We’re fully responsible for ensuring both runways, all seven ramps and nine taxiways are clear and ready for use during the winter months,” said Senior Airman Steven Harrod, 435th CES pavement and equipment journeymen. “When snow falls we usually work 12-hour shifts ensuring we have manning around the clock.”
The 86th OSS and 435th CES work together to ensure airfield conditions are what they should be for flightline operations to continue “We work very closely with the 86th OSS,” Airman Harrod said. “After they make the first assessment of the
airfield, that information is passed to us and we act upon it accordingly.
When we’ve completed our end of the task, we contact the 86th OSS to let them know what action we took to counter the weather conditions.”
It’s this kind of teamwork during winter operations that keep flightline operations moving, and ensures Ramstein Airmen can continue taking the fight to the enemy.
