Runway re-opens; increasing mission flexibility on Kirkuk

Published Dec. 5, 2008
By Master Sgt. Andrew Leonhard
506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, IRAQ -- A runway re-opened after more than three months with a ceremonial first touch-n-go here Nov. 17.

The newly resurfaced runway 14/32 was christened by Iraqi Air Force Lt. Ali Karim, Iraqi Flying Wing pilot trainee, and Capt. Craig Morash, 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, in a Cessna 172S Skyhawk.

Even though it's open for business, the 506th Expeditionary Operational Support Squadron commander said a small number of final details need to be finished.

"It's like buying a new house," said Lt. Col. Elisabeth Auld, 506th EOSS commander. "There's still a few more things to do. Even so, we have a far superior runway than we had a few months ago.

"We were lucky to have the right combination of airfield management experts, civil engineers and Red Horse warriors to get the job done."

The list of "to do's" though is short she stated, with final touches to the markings on the 8,535-foot runway and installing lights so it can be used at night.

With the new surface, Airmen will not have to "chase" every heavy aircraft looking for broken asphalt.

"We will no longer have to worry about that on our new runway," said Tech. Sgt. Clint Harper, 506th EOSS airfield manager. "The resurfacing greatly increases the safety of our crews and aircraft. Also, without this project to worry about, more time can be devoted to one of the many other projects we have going on, or are coordinating."

Sergeant Harper's airfield crew provides aircraft a safe operating environment, as well as usage coordination to local and transient aircraft and aircrews which enables up to an average of 5,000 aircraft to land and takeoff per month.

According to Harper, who's deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., the new surface does not increase the weight-bearing capacity of the runway, but it does give him and controllers a little flexibility with the movement of inbound and outbound traffic.

The resurfacing project was completed by a Red Horse team involving more than 40 Airmen, removing more than 1.3 million square feet of old asphalt, which equaled to relaying more than 38,000 tons of new asphalt hauled in by local Iraqi contract workers.

Now that it's complete and has that "new" smell and look; flexibility, which is considered as a key to airpower, will be more of a daily occurrence on forward operating base Warriors' airfield.