Radar maintainers keep Laughlin’s ‘eyes’ in the sky Published March 3, 2008 By Senior Airman Olufemi Owolabi 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- With the weather so unpredictable here, radar systems work round the clock to monitor impending weather conditions that may affect Laughlin's mission. Keeping these vital systems working requires proper care and maintenance. A unit here ensures its members are alert 24 hours a day to keep Laughlin's radar systems running. Those members belong to the 47th Communications Squadron's radar maintenance shop. The team of six ensures that Laughlin's eyes in the sky provide non-stop surveillance for the base. "The majority of the work we do on a daily basis is preventative in nature," said Matt Haven, ground radar systems supervisor. "The preventative maintenance inspections eliminate a lot of potential failures with the radar." "As we all know, weather radar is a critical component to maintaining watch and warning support for base resource protection and enhancing flying operations," Mr. Haven said. "So, even if the radar is fully functional, we're still working to make sure it stays that way." The radar maintenance workcenter maintains three major systems: the Digital Airport Surveillance Radar; Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System and Next Generation Weather Radar, which are some of the Air Force's most sophisticated radar systems. NEXRAD is a network of radars providing state of the art products for forecasters across the country. Laughlin's NEXRAD provides 230 kilometers of coverage and critical data to forecasters. "The DASR and NEXRAD are amongst the most sophisticated systems the Air Force owns," Mr. Haven said. "It takes years of training and experience to become proficient as radar technicians. You're not going to find someone off the street or even in today's commercial industry that can fix Laughlin's radar when it breaks." These technicians take their job seriously, knowing how important the radar systems are to flying operations here and to the general safety of Southwest Texas residents. "In a sense, our radar helps maximize every available moment in the flying window," he added. "Aside from flying, the radar provides essential data and coverage that are critical to forecasts in the San Antonio and Austin areas. There are a lot of people depending on us to keep things running." The day-to-day duties vary for this team of maintainers. "Weather radar is just a portion of our job," said Joshua McIntosh, radar maintenance technician. "The Airport Surveillance Radar and Radar Approach Control Indicators and Equipment take up most of our time." According to these technicians, even though the job is stressful sometimes, they still take pride in doing it, knowing how it affects the 'big picture' here at Laughlin. "I enjoy fixing things," Mr. Haven said. "The more complex and difficult the problem, the more satisfaction I gain in fixing it. The best technicians are the ones that won't stop until they know what's wrong." According to him, without technicians or their experience, it would be just a matter of time before Laughlin's radar would break. With no one to fix it, Laughlin's primary mission of training the world's best pilots and our capabilities to forecast weather for the region would suffer a tremendous blow, he said.