Understanding Air Traffic Control at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

ABOUT THE CONTROLLERS

The FAA has staffed a tower at the EAA convention since the 1960's. FAA Air Traffic personnel (including controllers, supervisors and managers) come from throughout the new Central Terminal Service Area (CTSA) to provide air traffic control (ATC) services each year. For 2007, 149 air traffic professionals volunteered to staff the facilities at Oshkosh (OSH), Fond du Lac (FLD) and Fisk - of which 77 were selected to work at the event.

With the exception of one guest controller from Sun 'N Fun, all ATC personnel come from FAA facilities within the 17-state Central Terminal Service Area (comprised of terminal facilities within the old FAA Great Lakes, Central and Southwest Regions). All together, 44 towers from 14 states are represented.

Controllers are normally limited to volunteering for a total of seven years at the EAA convention, to allow others a chance to volunteer for this temporary duty assignment.

The controllers are divided into teams of four persons each:

• One Veteran controller serves as the "Team Leader" and another Veteran may work on the team as well. Each of these controllers will have three or more years of previous OSH experience.
• At least one member of the team will have one to two years of OSH experience. This group is identified as the "Limited"
• The final member of each team will be new to OSH and is identified as a "Rookie".

larger view

larger view

These teams stay together throughout the convention as they rotate through the control towers at OSH or FLD, FISK VFR Approach Control and the mobile departure platforms (known as MOOCOWs - which is short for MObile Operating and COmmunications Workstation).

Listed below is the complete listing of control tower personnel for AirVenture 2007 - along with their home facilities:

AIR TRAFFIC MANAGER
Wanda Adelman – Milwaukee Mitchell (MKE) / Lake District

AIR TRAFFIC OPERATIONS MANAGERS
Elaine Buckner – Duluth (DLH)
David McCurdy – Peoria (PIA)

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
Art Hillmer, Hub Quality Assurance – Milwaukee Mitchell (MKE)
Patty Hutson, Hub Administrative Officer – Milwaukee Mitchell (MKE)
Jerry Hough, Training – Grand Rapids (GRR)
Ray Thyfault, Training – Kalamazoo (AZO)

AIR TRAFFIC FRONT LINE MANAGERS
Bill Casey – Evansville (EVV)
Tim Fitzgerald – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
Jerry Hough – Grand Rapids (GRR)
James Hovik – St. Louis (STL)
Don Kruse – Detroit Metro (DTW)
Mark Meuwissen – Pontiac (PTK)
Rick Polete – Evansville (EVV)
Robert Reed – Minneapolis (MSP)
Dean Smith – Saginaw (MBS)
Michael Snaer – Lansing (LAN)
Ray Thyfault – Kalamazoo (AZO)

NATCA UNION REPRESENTATIVE
Michelle Wrobleski – Green Bay (GRB)

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
(Team Leaders shown in BOLD)

Robert Ackerman (DWH)
Bernard Banche – Columbus (CMH)
James Barbee (MSY)
Tim Baumer – Grand Forks (GFK)
John Beresh (CAK)
Kyle Bitters (CLE)
Don Bloomfield (MLI)
Don Bouslaugh (DSM)
Craig Burzych – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
Stephen Byrum – Amarillo (AMA)
Mike Dreger – Chicago Midway (MDW)
Jerome Drew – Pontiac (PTK)
Greg Emberland – Minneapolis (MSP)
Ben Euler – Indianapolis (IND)
Richard Fendley – Houston (IAH)
David Forsberg (AMA)
Harry Gaydosz (YNG)
Mark Gordon (CAK)
Michael Haller – South Bend (SBN)
Craig Harryman (OKC)
Stephanie Hollowell (ADS)
Mike Howard (STP)
Mark Irvin (STL)
David Kaupp (STP)
Kenneth Kaylor – Little Rock (LIT)
Jerry Kidd – Cleveland (CLE)
Dean Kirchoff – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
Craig Krepps (TVC)
Rusty Lingafelter – St. Louis (STL)
Paul Lore (TOL)
James Lyon (DFW)
Tony Masters (IAH)
Michael McDonald – Fort Smith (FSM)
Jay Moffat – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
John Moore – Minneapolis (MSP)
Eric Nelson – Indianapolis (IND)
Kenneth Nowosatka (DSM)
Michael O’Conner (ALO)
William O’Donnell (FSM)
Jeff Peace (DFW)
John Reagan – San Antonio (SAT)
Charlotte Rhodes – Abilene (ABI)
Dan Ricks (ORD)
Steven Ritchey – Flint (FNT)
Lowell Roberts (DSM)
Tina Rowe (IAH)
Edward Ruhbeck (STL)
Steve Schrimscher (DTW)
Mary Schwaderer – Lansing (LAN)
Amy Sedin – Duluth (DLH)
Garth Seehawer – Dayton (DAY)
Russell Sell (GFK)
Michael Sparks (LIT)
Scott Stark – Roswell (ROW)
Scott Strader – Chicago Midway (MDW)
Wallace Sturgill (OKC)
Christopher Such – Terre Haute (HUF)
John Trowbridge (OKC)
Trent Tyler (EVV)
Leonard Weidner – Spirit of St. Louis (SUS)
Wesley Wiest – Flying Cloud (FCM)
Jill Wurdell – St. Paul (STP)
Annie Zidar – Milwaukee Mitchell (MKE)

SUN ‘N FUN GUEST AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER
Boyd Martin (DAB)

OSHKOSH FEDERAL CONTRACT TOWER CONTROLLERS
Ian Billington
Chip Dyni
Dena Dyni
Marty Sweeney
Brian VanLankveldt