LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
More than 35 Airmen and civilians from the 633d Civil Engineer Squadron worked around the clock to clear the airfield during recent snow storms, ensuring continuation of critical homeland security and humanitarian missions.
Tech. Sgt. Robert Shay, 633 CES Pavements and Equipments noncommissioned officer in charge, said the team contributed more than 2,800 hours of manpower to remove snow and ice from the flight line and taxiways between Jan. 29 and Feb. 13.
"We cleared more than 1.2 million square yards of airfield using 20 pieces of equipment," he said. "Our guys worked rotating 12-hour shifts. There wasn't a point when we didn't have crews working."
The first snowfall dropped more than 6 inches of snow on Langley. Military and civilian crewmembers cleared the airfield for operation within 24 hours. They cleared subsequent snow accumulations within two hours after the snow stopped falling.
"We had to let the snow fall and stop falling before we could start clearing it," said Sergeant Shay. "It's a waste of manpower to clear the runway during the heaviest snowfalls because it keeps coming down where you just cleared."
Several critical missions were underway during the storms, adding extra pressure for the 633 CES teams to work quickly and efficiently. The team focused first on clearing the flight line to ensure uninterrupted alert missions and then on the west park ramp to allow C-17s to land and depart with relief supplies and equipment bound for Haiti. Finally, 633 CES crews cleared the east ramp, allowing the 1st Fighter Wing to launch fighters in support of Operation Noble Eagle, a homeland security campaign.
The team used specified heavy-duty equipment for each snowfall accumulation. Snowbrooms, equipped with mechanized brooms, removed lighter snow, traditional plows handled deeper snow, and snow blowers moved larger accumulations.
"We had to clear the entire flight line, including all runway lights and markings so pilots could see to navigate," Sergeant Shay explained. "The wind conditions dictated the methods we used to remove the snow, which made for painstaking, time-consuming removal."
After removing the snow, crews ensured the flight line was free of foreign object debris, including ice on the east ramp.
"We had to bring out some bladed equipment to break up ice that formed due to snow melt that had frozen," said Sergeant Shay.
Sergeant Shay attributed the success of the operation to strong camaraderie and non-stop communication. If a piece of equipment ran into mechanical trouble, a dedicated team of technicians fixed the problem swiftly, allowing crews to get back to fighting the snow.
"We took care of each other out there," he said. "I made sure my guys always had food, water and the materials they needed to get the job done. Working around the clock is tough, but everyone did a great job and worked together."