NAS Patuxent River, Maryland is a Class IV Facility and is taken into account probably the most advanced ATCFs within the Navy’s AC neighborhood. The NAS Pax River management tower works in extra of 40,000 flight operations per yr, and its radar operations management over 6,000-square-miles of airspace, together with the Particular Use Airspace advanced, and offers method management service to 14 further airports.
“We name getting absolutely certified at Pax equal to incomes your Ph. D. in Air Visitors Management,” mentioned ACC Kristen Costlow, NAS Patuxent River Air Visitors Management Coaching Chief. “In an effort to develop into absolutely certified right here at Pax, you need to undergo a rigorous coaching pipeline of 14 air site visitors management {qualifications}. On common, it takes three years to acquire designation as a Facility Watch Supervisor, which is the best qualification you may acquire after finishing the prior 13 {qualifications}.”
NAS Patuxent River had beforehand marked an analogous milestone in 2018 with an all-women Air Visitors Management certified tower crew, however this was the primary time within the station’s historical past that each one positions on the air site visitors management watch have been staffed fully by girls Sailors.
“Once I checked in to Pax in February 2018, the ladies controllers on board made historical past by having sufficient certified girls to workers the complete management tower,” Costlow mentioned. “Now, in 2023, we are able to run the complete facility by ourselves, 100-percent feminine. A category IV facility. Essentially the most advanced facility and aggressive air site visitors management coaching pipeline within the Navy. This goes past us being happy with ourselves for standing out in a male-dominant score. This units the instance for his or her daughters, sisters and future girls that aspire to hitch the Navy. We’ve got 70 controllers on board, 13 of them are feminine. The power to totally workers the ATCF with all girls is actually a historic milestone for NAS Pax.”
Whereas all of the Pax River ACs are extraordinarily targeted on their demanding jobs in Air Visitors Management, they did pause briefly to comment on the gravity of the event. Twelve tales up within the Pax River Air Visitors Management Tower, Tower Supervisor and Native Controller AC1 Amanda Galentine, Floor Controller AC1 Talyssa Martin and Flight Information Operator AC2 Brianna Boore made word of the event in between flights.
“It’s fairly cool; you don’t see this fairly often at many services,” Galentine mentioned. “My Senior Chief at my final shore facility—I actually look as much as her and he or she’s one in all my mentors—I feel she’d be particularly happy to know that this occurred. She’s a Grasp Chief now, so it’s not solely good to see a feminine chief, she helped me develop into the particular person and chief I’m right this moment. So, to be standing right here with these different skilled girls ACs is superior.”
Throughout the road from the tower within the Air Operations constructing, Flight Planning Supervisor/Dispatch-AC2 Autumn Rauen, in between telephone calls remarked on the affect this can have on future ACs.
“I feel this will probably be significantly impactful on new airmen coming in, each women and men, seeing that ladies are able to doing these sorts of jobs and never simply relegated to the background,” Rauen mentioned. “It’s good to have all these quals to point out the individuals who nonetheless say that ladies can’t do sure issues.”
Up within the radar room, Costlow and her crew of Strategy Controller AC1 Kristy Lescrynski, Sector Controller AC1 Erica Headrick, Clearance Supply AC2 Syrenia Cuevas, and Ultimate Controller AC2 Tieraney Edmond diligently tracked plane, pausing solely to take a photograph and to supply a number of phrases.
“This speaks volumes of the laborious work these girls have put in to their skilled improvement and dedication to the workforce by incomes {qualifications} in report time,” Costlow mentioned. “You’re taking a look at some trailblazers within the Air Visitors Management neighborhood.”
Later within the day the remaining ACs on watch have been visited by Capt. Derrick Kingsley, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer, who offered command cash to the all-women crew and provided phrases of encouragement.
“Within the 26 years I’ve been within the Navy I haven’t seen too many milestones like this, and I’m happy it occurred on my air station,” Kingsley mentioned. “Once I first joined the Navy, girls have been simply starting to fill roles in combatant instructions, now you all have performed an element within the Navy’s historical past too. I’m rattling proud to be your skipper.”
Chief Petty Officer Patrick Gordon is a public affairs officer with the Navy Workplace of Data, Media Content material Operations-Navy Reserve Element, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
