420th ABS supports RIAT Published Aug. 10, 2012 By Capt. Brian Maguire 501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs RAF FAIRFORD, United Kingdom -- Editors Note: This article is the first part in a three-part series on the support the 420th Air Base Squadron at RAFÂ Fairford provides to the Royal International Air Tattoo. Hosting an airshow is a labor-intensive process that involves a lot of preparation and planning work prior to the actual event. At most Air Force installations, with the support, maintenance and airfield operations personnel on hand to put on a successful show and organic aircraft for aerial and static displays, airshows are slightly easier to plan. But when the installation is a contingency operating location with the minimum amount of staff needed to activate the installation and then turn it over to deploying forces in 48 hours, hosting an airshow can be a challenge. Add to that the fact that they host the world's largest military airshow and the task can seem insurmountable. Every year, the men and women of the 420th Air Base Squadron rise to the challenge by activating RAF Fairford and hosting the Royal International Air Tattoo, operated by the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises. "RIAT puts on a tremendous show and the U.S. Air Force gets a lot of recognition by association," said Tim Hershberger, 420th ABS site director. "Of course, we put a lot of work into it, but it is fantastic to see the airfield running at such a high tempo." Hosting RIAT enables the 420th ABS to test almost every aspect of the installation's "warm status" to receive forces in 48 hours said Hershberger. The functions tested within the 420th ABS include airfield operations security, civil engineering, force support and logistics. "Allowing RIAT to be held at RAF Fairford allows us to test our systems to ensure they are still functioning properly," said Hershberger. "They use almost every available facility so we make sure it all works. Plus, this is just good exposure to be connected with a great airshow." Airfield Operations The main focus of RAF Fairford is the runway and the parking apron designed to hold more than 50 B-52s. Zelda Montoya, 420th ABS air traffic manager, is responsible for the airspace and directing aircraft into RAF Fairford. During a contingency operation, Montoya would work side-by-side with U.S. Air Force air traffic controllers to receive forces and conduct flying operations out of RAF Fairford. Because RIAT is a civilian airshow approved by the British Civil Aviation Authority, civilian controllers from five British airports volunteer to man the tower. "What I'm doing is just prepping them to take over the facility," she said. "They're already familiarized with the equipment, all I'm doing is showing them the layout, what frequencies they want to use and what their requirements are going to be. I'm doing basic check and balance with them." With her knowledge of the RAF Fairford equipment and the local airspace and procedures, Montoya is able to help identify layouts and approach/demonstration configurations that could impede proper functioning of the navigational aids. Once aircraft begin arriving for RIAT, she will spend her time in the tower, ready to assist the controllers if needed. "All I'm doing during the show is liaising between the controllers and Fairford," said Montoya. "If anything were to go wrong with the equipment, the controllers wouldn't know who to call, so I'll reach out and grab people and pull them in to fix the problem." Once aircraft arrive at RAF Fairford, the associate manager of airfield operations, otherwise known as the airfield manager, Tony Maycock takes over. As the airfield manager, Maycock plays a role in anything that happens on the airfield. "The support to RIAT begins in June with the media launch, when we operate the airfield and stage the event, which is followed by the start of the build-up of structures," said Maycock. "Essentially, I hand over a bit of airfield at a time in order to retain operability for U.S. Air Force purposes." Once RIAT has control of the airfield the week of the airshow, Maycock plays an advisory role throughout the show. His focus remains on maintaining a safe and efficient airfield environment to operate aircraft from, whether RIAT or the U.S. Air Force controls the airfield. "It's a management challenge, as contingency operations are never the same - the big difference is RIAT happens every year," said Maycock. Even with the regularity of RIAT, the support requested can change, said Maycock. While RIAT planning and involvement occurs for months before the event and contingency operations can occur with only 48 hours notice, Maycock's goal is to provide an operational airfield. "We adapt to suit the requirements of any customer, whether it be RIAT or a deployment - we remain flexible," said Maycock. Security Securing an airfield can have different implications during a contingency deployment or the world's largest military airshow. The differences are not so great that the planning for RIAT has benefits to preparing and executing security arrangements during contingency operations. "RIAT involves a multi-agency policing effort to ensure the safety and security of personnel and our resources involved in the event," said Tracy Carpenter, 420th ABS security forces operations officer. "We are reliant on our host nation to provide external policing of RAF Fairford during this event, in direct parallel to what we would ask in the event of a large-scale contingency operation staged from RAF Fairford." While the quantity of aircraft on display at RIAT is greater than during a contingency operation, having various different airframes here enables the security forces to plan for the different aircraft that could be deployed to RAF Fairford. Providing security for the aircraft during RIAT took a team effort from the 501st Combat Support Wing, as Airmen from both the 422nd and 423rd security forces squadrons were used to protect certain aircraft. "During RIAT we had several different aircraft participate this year from various major commands, which would also hold true in a major build up for the base during contingency operations," said Carpenter. "We also needed to ensure that local threat and vulnerability assessments were provided to the aircrews invited to RIAT, which is the same service we would provide incoming deploying forces." Because RIAT is run by British personnel, the British emergency command and control structure is used. While the terminology is different, the structure runs fairly parallel to the Air Force incident management structure, with Gold Control equating to the Crisis Action Team, Silver Control equating to the Emergency Operations Center and Bronze Control equating to the on-scene incident commander. The Silver Control operates out of the Security Forces building here during RIAT, much like the EOC would during a contingency. U.S. Air Force personnel liaise and work with the British personnel in all levels of the command and control structure to provide immediate assistance should the need arise. "At Silver Control, the communications infrastructure is in place to facilitate a multi-agency operations center that is comprised of medical, fire, police and emergency management for both our host nation and the U.S. Air Force," said Carpenter. "RIAT affords us the opportunity annually to exercise for an extensive build-up of resources and personnel which aides in our core mission statement of being the premier forward operating location for the U.S. Air Forces in Europe."