PAHOA — With no end to the lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea volcano apparent, much of lower Puna is still under temporary flight restriction status. That means only authorized aircraft are legally allowed to fly in the airspace.
Six airmen of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 297th Air Traffic Control Squadron are on assignment in Puna, coordinating aviation in the restricted zone from the county’s mobile command center at the Pahoa fire and police complex. Four of the six recently returned from deployment in Iraq, including Staff Sgt. Skyler Ross, a Pearl City, Oahu, native who lives in Mililani, Oahu, with his wife, Danielle Bass, the state’s sustainability coordinator with the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
“We arrived home in mid-April and on May 29, the day after Memorial Day, we arrived here on the Big Island,” Ross told the Tribune-Herald last week. “… The day after Memorial Day was actually our first day to go back to our normal jobs. But the day before Memorial Day, we got the call telling us they needed us out here to help with the air traffic control site.”
That means the 34-year-old Ross, a seven-year Guard veteran, has spent little more than a month with family in a nine-month period and hasn’t returned to his civilian job as an operations manager for FedEx. He said his employer has been “just great” about his extended deployment.
“FedEx is No. 1 with military,” Ross said. “You just let them know what’s going on and they will bend over backwards to make sure you get whatever you need, which is why I love working for FedEx.”
Two controllers stand watch at a time, working two 12-hour shifts in a 48-hour period, followed by 24 hours off before returning to duty. Working with Ross was Staff Sgt. Alika Lee, a 34-year-old Kaneohe, Oahu, native and 14-year Guard veteran who hasn’t seen overseas deployment.
“We didn’t know what to expect, actually,” Lee said about the emergency deployment. “They said to pack for five days. We came here with no bedding. We had to provide that. Now, we’re in for, like, two months more.”
Lee is a civilian air traffic controller for the U.S. Department of Defense at Kalaeloa Airport, also known as John Rodgers Field. The Leeward Oahu airport is the former Naval Air Station Barbers Point, and is home to the 297th as well.
The difference between military and civilian air traffic control, according to Lee?
“Not much,” he replied. “Our rules come from the FAA. We might have more rules on our side. As a civilian, we don’t ask the pilots to check their wheels down, but in the military, we’re required to say it.”
Lee, who is single, has family in East Hawaii, “so I come to visit every so often.”
Lee’s prior unit, the 169th Air Control and Warning Squadron at Wheeler Army Air Field in Wahiawa, Oahu, wasn’t subject to deployment. He is, however, looking forward to a scheduled deployment around New Year’s 2019.
“I have a date. I have a place. But I can’t tell you,” he explained. “I’m really excited. I’ve really wanted to do that.”
There’s no radar in the command center and pair maintained radio contact with pilots in the restricted zone, including one who requested and received permission to take off from Leilani Avenue in Leilani Estates, the first subdivision to experience lava inundation during the current eruptive episode, which began May 3.
We have what we call non-radar procedures,” Ross explained. “We get information from the aircraft, and we separate them using their individual positions, their altitudes, their time bases, and what we call the different sectors that we have.”
Ross and Lee said there have been unauthorized drone operators flying in restricted airspace — most taking photos and video of active lava and some seeking to sell their images and footage.
“We work very closely with the Hawaii Police Department,” Ross said. “As soon as any of our helos, civilian or non-civilian, or any of the authorized drones see any non-authorized drone activity in the air, they immediately notify us where and what direction they’re going. We let the police department know, and the police department goes out to immediately cite whoever’s operating them. Safety is our priority, because we’re doing air evacuation missions and other types of missions.”
Ross said the largest air evacuation mission, to date, was in Kapoho.
“We’ve also had other, smaller air evacuations due to vog, people not being able to breathe, or some of the ground crews that either got stuck in a specific area or got injured doing some sort of construction or their hikes to report on what exactly is going on,” he added.
Lee and Ross said in their off time, scouting new places to eat is the first order of business.
“Being born and raised in Hawaii, food is the most important thing,” Ross said. “We’ve been to Ken’s. I’m waiting to go to Verna’s because I love Verna’s. They bring us food from Cafe 100. We’ve been to Coqui’s.”
Both were aware that Zippy’s, the ubiquitous Hawaii chain, has a restaurant in Hilo’s Prince Kuhio Plaza.
“We’re amazed that your Zippy’s closes,” Ross noted. “We’ve never been to a Zippy’s that closes. The ones on Oahu are all 24/7.”
Ross called the Guard “a second family” and both described their interactions with the local community as positive.
“Walking around here in your uniform, you get all the love and the aloha from the local people, because they know you’re here to do whatever you can to help them,” Ross said.
“They always thank you and are always shaking your hand. It’s that appreciation that makes you want to stay in the Guard and do what you can to help out my fellow family.”
“It’s a very humbling experience,” Lee added. “I’ve never had so much gratitude, ever. We just go to the store and people thank us, shake our hands. They offer us food. I’ve never had that before. It’s really rewarding.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.