Luke transient alert assists commercial airline Published Sept. 23, 2011 By Senior Master Sgt. Larry Schneck 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Haboob. Closed airport. Low fuel. The Luke Air Force Base transient alert team had 15 minutes to prepare for the arrival of an inbound Southwest Airlines flight with an in-flight emergency and nowhere close to land. Because a dust storm closed Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Aug. 18, the nearest available airfield was almost 300 miles away in Las Vegas. The Boeing 737 circled Sky Harbor awaiting authorization to land. When fuel ran low for the jet inbound from Rhode Island, air traffic controllers diverted the flight to Luke. "They wanted to get out of the dust storm," said Michael Dixon, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron transient alert supervisor, a 25-year retired U.S. Air Force crew chief from Lyons, Neb. "The dust storm in the East Valley caused other airplanes to be sent to Nevada to land and wait out the storm. This flight didn't have enough fuel to make it there." Transient alert is an integral part of flightline operations providing support for 250 to 350 aircraft each year. The team recovers, services, inspects and launches transient aircraft visiting Luke. "The transient alert section transitioned from blue suit military personnel to contract personnel in May 2007," said Jason Fienhage, 56th EMS contracting officers representative and retired F-16 crew chief, who oversees the Air Force contract. "All of the current employees have military experience and most of them retired here at Luke." The job of keeping the airfield clear and open for operations means working closely with fire and emergency services, aerospace ground equipment and fuels. The units work in unison to get aircraft needing a normal gas-and-go turned around and back in the air within two hours. "Transient alert keeps our visiting flight crews safe, from landing to take-off," said Brig. Gen. JD Harris, 56th Fighter Wing commander. "They provided outstanding support for the 2011 Luke Days Air Show where they handled more than 120 aircraft." The five fighter squadrons here have their own crews to launch and recover the 138 F-16s assigned to the base. Transient alert handles the non-Luke aircraft, heavy transport and rotary wing. "We do the juggling of finding ramp space for the 30 to 50 planes that come each month," said Dixon. "We make sure nothing's broken and inspect the aircraft for damage." Another part of the team's job is to use large cranes to remove disabled 56th FW-assigned aircraft from mishap sites. The last two mishaps were at Gila Bend and Wickenberg air fields. Crews transported the planes on flatbed trucks back to Luke for disposition. The arrival of the Southwest Airlines aircraft was no different a job than what the team normally handles. It was the second commercial airliner to land at Luke in the past four years. The dust storm that closed Sky Harbor and diverted the inbound passenger plane to the base was the fourth storm of the monsoon season and a common phenomenon for the Arizona desert. Usually, these weather occurrences come from the East Valley and Tucson, Ariz. "Typically, the haboob, or dust storm, comes from the southeast," said Staff Sgt. Stephen Perkins, 56th Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight forecaster. "It's like a wave on the ocean, but without any precipitation." Perkins described it as cold air flowing from the collapse of a thunderstorm. It goes downward onto the desert floor and picks up the dry dust and tumbles the dirt similar to water on an ocean. The day of the storm, five aircraft were caught in a holding pattern when officials closed Sky Harbor and grounded all outbound flights. "When the commercial airliner landed at Luke, we worked to get them out of here as soon as possible," Dixon said. "They tried to decide whether to transport the 161 passengers onboard by bus to Sky Harbor or wait, refuel the jet and fly them there." Transient alert also had to find a way to feed the passengers while they waited. So they ordered pizza. Since the pizza delivery person wasn't allowed to drive on the flightline, security forces assisted with the handoff of enough pizza for everyone on the aircraft. "We gave them water, too," Dixon said. "Security forces provides protection for the aircraft and makes sure there is no unauthorized entry. It was unusual to see the Airmen delivering pizza up the stairs and inside the plane." At 9:40 p.m., after more than two hours on the Luke ramp, the Southwest Airlines aircraft, passengers and crew departed for Sky Harbor. "We appreciate the support from the Air Force for providing a safe landing area for our aircraft and everyone onboard," wrote a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines in an e-mail to the Thunderbolt. Transient alert crews completed their mission and stood ready for the next flight arrival, whether it's a diverted aircraft to Luke or a scheduled arrival of a visiting plane from another Defense Department installation.