POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The 743rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron is in charge of all enroute operations here. As a part of that squadron the Transient Alert force handles a variety of crucial tasks and operations to keep the traffic on the flightline moving. Transient Alert is a 24-hour operation.

The 743rd AMXS handles operations for the Air Force and sister services by managing the runways and handling any aircraft requesting to land at Pope. Transient Alert has prior permission request, which is similar to a flight plan. This system allows them to see where aircraft are scheduled to go for planning purposes.

"We bring it in, park it, gas it and make requests for repairs if needed." said James Wilkins, Transient Alert supervisor.

For Airmen redeploying to Pope, most of them arrive on contracted commercial aircraft. While the protocols are not any different, the staff works to assist with refueling to get those aircraft back out as well.

Transient Alert is a support agency. For all incoming flights with distinguished visitors arriving at Pope, the information will first be passed from protocol or base operations.

Mr. Wilkins said his staff is prepared for the busiest of days and recalled one challenging day when several general officers were flying in on various aircraft and were scheduled to arrive at the same time. The aircraft must land, the visitors come down on the red carpet, and then the aircraft must quickly be moved and parked to give priority to the next aircraft.

"It's feast or famine, and something different everyday," said Mr. Wilkins.
Louis Svabek, assistant project manager, works the night shift where the responsibilities are the same, and the traffic is equally as busy.

"Planes come into Pope at all hours, and we are ready for them," said Mr. Svabek. "The people I work with are my favorite part of this job, and we know the job well. All of us have been prior aircraft mechanics."

Currently, the winter weather hasn't thrown Transient Alert any curve balls, but bad weather throws different challenges their way.

"It gets hectic because of the ice," said Mr. Wilkins. "We de-ice the aircraft, which entails getting cold and wet. If you don't have all the proper safety equipment on you can often get a lot of the spray in your mouth."

The process can last 20 to 30 minutes depending on the weather. The de-icing solution is a glycol 50/50 mixture that is sprayed on with a hose. The system has greatly improved since the implementation of the global de-icer, which is similar to a golf cart but more robot-like in capabilities.

"You don't get cold, wet or spray on you while in the cab and you can mechanically do the job through the mechanical arms," said Mr. Wilkins.

Being on the job has provided Mr. Wilkins and Mr. Svabek with some fond memories. Some of the more monumental visits were from different U.S. presidents. This past year on July 4, President George W. Bush, flew into Pope. The Transient Alert crew had a week to prepare, attend briefings and do rehearsals to ensure everything went smoothly as planned. Mr. Wilkins and his crew had the privilege of touring Air Force One. The only stipulation: They had to take their shoes off; a small price to pay for that once in a lifetime opportunity. Mr. Svabek still keeps a souvenir of his unopened presidential M&M's that were handed out by the U.S. Secret Service detail. According to Mr. Wilkins, the President was very cordial and gracious to the staff, thanked them for their service and provided them with a coin.

Base Operations
Doug Grady has been a staple at Base Operations for 10 years. As an air traffic assistant, he works shift work around the clock.

"Getting to interact with different people is a favorite part of my job," said Mr. Grady.
On a daily basis they follow all the airplanes and notify support agencies as situations arise. The control tower begins the process and then base operations is notified. They perform their daily taskings primarily by using the computer and telephone, but have various types of communication equipment available.

"Besides the stress of all the flight plans coming in, all the telephones ringing at once, and people standing at the desk needing something done, it's up to us to prioritize these tasks while making everyone happy," said Mr. Grady.