Army Controllers Earn Rare Air Force ATC Certifications

Chièvres Air Base, Belgium – After six months with the 424th Air Base Squadron (424 ABS), two Army Staff Sergeants are going back to their home stations with a rare achievement – official U.S. Air Force (USAF) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fixed-wing air traffic control certifications, expanding their expertise beyond Army aviation.

Staff Sgt. Zadeia Tyndle and Staff Sgt. Sean Lalonde arrived in early January to integrate with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) team. The joint training was approved by United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Force Africa operations and support division and designed to allow Army controllers to obtain USAF and FAA certifications while working with different operations and airframes.

Capt. Michael Ober, 424 ABS airfield operations flight commander, noted that this was the first time the 424 ABS hosted this type of cross-service training, making it a uniquely valuable and rare event in the region.

“The Army aviation fleet primarily consists of rotary-wing aircraft, with only a small handful of fixed-wing aircraft," explained Ober. "This makes Army ATC very specialized in rotary-wing operations which is, in general, less complex. By training at a fixed-wing facility, the Army controllers greatly expand their skills and capabilities."

This program also solved a unique readiness challenge for the Air Force controllers stationed at Chièvres. Because the facility typically only receives fully qualified tower controllers who require minimal local onboarding, the Airmen rarely get the chance to practice their instructional skills.

The Soldiers received training in front loading and equipment familiarization, ground control, control of vehicles and aircraft on the runway, control of local airspace, coordinating with local authorities and more. Staff Sgt. Kevin Hallam, 424 ABS air traffic control watch supervisor, noted the additional benefits of working on an international airfield.

“A unique aspect of this program at Chièvres is the level of communication with pilots from all over the European Union,” said Hallam. “The aircraft that they fly are just as varied as the nationalities of the pilots themselves. We are exposed to a wide variety of aircraft that controllers in other locations do not get to experience.”

Additional teams of two controllers have been sent to train across Germany, making this initiative a top priority for battalion leadership. By the time the Soldiers depart, they will return to their units not only with new certifications but with a broadened perspective on joint-force aviation operations.