Airfield Management rated best in AFRC

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul Zadach
  • 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL --  The average traveler flying into Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport might see a few C-130s parked off to the side near a hangar reading "Air Force Reserve" and think, "I guess they let the Air Force park a few planes here at the airport." 

There's a little more going on here than just using some airport space. The Air Force Reserve Command knows exactly what is going on as it has recognized the 934th Operations Support Flight with the 2006 Airfield Management Facility of the Year award. 

The award winning airfield management program is due in large part to the efforts of Jim DeCann, Paul Guardado and Bernard Williams who manage and run the airfield for the 934th Airlift Wing. Aircrews see them every day working with the Supervisor of Flying to make the daily arrivals and departures of the wing's C-130s and visiting aircraft a smooth and efficient operation.
 
In fact, they processed more than 1,200 flight plans during 2006 with an on-time rate of 99 percent. "What that means is that essentially there were no flights delayed by Air Traffic Control because of inaccurate or incomplete flight plans filed by us," explained DeCann.
 
Impressive as that is, it is just one aspect of the airfield management picture.
"We are responsible for everything that happens on our ramp," said DeCann. "We are responsible for the physical maintenance, safety and working with the Metropolitan Airport Commission to assure that the civilian and military operations are able to work efficiently together as a joint-use facility."
 
During the past year, airfield management teamed with 934th Civil Engineers to develop a five-year plan to expand and upgrade the ramp facilities.
 
To improve safety and visibility, they coordinated the repairs of ramp lighting along with CE going from a 45 percent outage to 100 percent operational. 

They established the first ever Airfield Operating Instruction which established Air Traffic Control/Airfield Management procedures which meet or exceed Air Force requirements.
One statistic that really tells the story of their commitment to excellence is the results of the Air Traffic System Evaluation Program inspection. In 2005 the inspection revealed more than 60 deficiencies. The team of DeCann, Guardado and Williams, all new since the 2005 inspection, were able to bring that figure down to only five findings. 

Such a large turnaround would certainly make anyone proud, but Guardado says what gives him the most pride about the job is the confidence they have inspired in the aircrews who pass through the facility. "The crews know that when we file flight plans for their missions that they will be correct and everything will go smoothly. They are able to assume things will be done right on our end and get on with the business of flying the mission." 

Guardado, like the other two airfield managers, is a civilian, but he also serves as an executive officer at the 133rd Air National Guard unit across the field. 

"There is a good working relationship between the 934th and the Guard," he said. "We help each other out when ramp space is tight as we have a lot of transient aircraft coming in." 

Besides working as an air reserve technician in the electronic counter measures shop, Williams is responsible for sorting and distributing aircrew flight information publications and preparing the monthly traffic report for MAC. These are in addition to his regular airfield management duties. 

"We could not do the job without him," said DeCann. 

DeCann brings nearly 22 years of active duty airfield management experience to the mix. He has worked active duty, reserve bases, and civilian airports during his career, including tours at two of the busiest: Kadena Air Base, Japan and Ramstein Air Base, Germany. 

Success seems to follow him wherever he goes as the unit he has worked at has earned the Airfield Management Facility of the Year nine years in a row. 

A Minnesota native, DeCann is glad to be back home. "I wouldn't trade the experience of traveling around the world for anything, but getting back to Minnesota with a job that I enjoy is like a dream come true," he said.