Airfield systems maintenance: Helping pilots 'return with honor'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cory W. Bush
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Rain, snow and fog can threaten a pilot's visibility every day.

At Aviano, F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots rely on preparation and precision guidance systems to land their aircraft safely during adverse weather conditions. These systems are maintained by a small team of Airmen from the 31st Operations Support Squadron airfield systems maintenance flight.

These Airmen install and maintain more than 82 radio, navigation and meteorological systems on the flightline - systems used every day.  These systems enable constant contact between F-16 pilots and the control tower during flight to keep their multimillion dollar aircraft safe. Even under the worst weather conditions, an Instrument Landing System is highly accurate.

"There are four different systems that can be used," said Senior Airman Nathaniel Wilson, 31st OSS airfield systems maintenance journeyman. "The most advanced system we have at Aviano is the ILS. It guides pilots during terrible weather conditions. To do this it uses two transmitters; a localizer that provides horizontal guidance and a glide slope that provides vertical guidance."

The transmitters send a continuous signal to the aircraft which is displayed on the cockpit's instrument panel.

"It tells me on my display what adjustments are needed in order to land safely," said Capt. Daniel Trueblood, 555th Fighter Squadron F-16 flight commander. "It will tell me if I am too far left or right, or if the angle I am approaching at needs to be lower or higher. Once I make the adjustments, I can essentially land the aircraft without looking out of the canopy."

Weather patterns are often unpredictable, so a pilot may have to rely on ILS at a moment's notice. 

"It's imperative that this system is maintained 24/7," mentioned Wilson. "If it's not the flying mission has to be put on hold."

Pilots, maintainers and schedulers can't always wait on clear skies to start flying. When aircrews are on alert status, bad weather isn't enough to keep them from deterring aggression and defending NATO interests.

"The most important thing is to train to the mission," said Trueblood. "Sometimes the weather isn't going to be ideal, but it's not going to be ideal in combat either. In order to provide airpower on demand to U.S. and NATO allies we have to train for all weather conditions, and ILS makes that possible."