MOC a ‘readiness/response center’

Published Jan. 14, 2013
By Mike W. Ray
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Describing the 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group's Maintenance Operations Center at Tinker AFB is difficult, considering all that it does. Col. Brad Tannehill, commander of the 76th AMXG, says simply it is the Oklahoma City Air Logistic Complex's "24/7/365 readiness/response center."

The MOC is tucked into Bldg. 3001 behind two locked doors on which is painted "Big Red". Saber Control is the MOC call sign, but many veteran aircrews still refer to it as Big Red.

Along one wall of the MOC is an array of large, flat video screens arranged side-by-side. Two screens show real-time video feeds from closed-circuit cameras that are employed to monitor aircraft and the flight line and to provide MOC controllers with situational awareness while they manage ramp operations. "We control the flight line and access to it," said Keith Woolverton, chief of the 76th AMXG MOC.

One screen in the MOC displays current weather data such as temperature, lightning in the local area, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, precipitation, etc. This screen is one of the tools used by MOC controllers to manage aircraft engine runs and movements and to advise Tinker personnel of impending weather conditions.

Another screen provides a real-time update on the status of OC-ALC-possessed aircraft, their arrivals and departures, FPCON changes, and various other information. On the morning of Dec. 18, the MOC was tracking 52 aircraft; that number varies day-to-day.

One screen depicts a geographical location of all planned and unplanned depot maintenance aircraft under OC-ALC possession. It is also one of the tools that controllers use to manage aircraft movements and daily production requirements.

The final MOC screen is a tool used to monitor and track functional check flights, arrivals and departures. MOC controllers monitor this in real time for situational awareness and pre-planning aircraft parking and maintenance requirements, Mr. Woolverton said.

The MOC also provides Aerospace Vehicle Delivery Operations support. When an aircraft lands after a mission, MOC personnel meet the air crew and provide them with ground transportation, process their aircraft in and "take care of the necessary forms," Mr. Woolverton said.

If leadership calls the MOC, requesting a status report on a particular airplane, the answer is forthcoming quickly. "In the past it would take two to three hours to get a status report on a jet," Mr. Woolverton said. Now it's available in real time.

"We also support the warfighter in the field," Mr. Woolverton said. When a home-station base needs engineering support, Tinker's MOC is contracted "and we'll put them in contact with the engineers."

The MOC coordinates with fire and security services, and tracks and implements contingencies, safety issues and e-mailed weather notifications. The MOC supervises snow removal efforts on the flight line "when conditions exist that negatively impact production," Mr. Woolverton said.

The MOC communicates with the 507th Air Refueling Wing, the 552nd Air Control Wing, and the Navy command posts here "on a regular basis," he said.

The MOC operates continuously, around-the-clock, 24/7/365. "We never shut down," Mr. Woolverton related. "Data is recorded on everything we do," he added, and is updated real-time and available to users ranging from analysts to commanders.

The software employed in the MOC was developed at Tinker by the 76th Software Maintenance Group in partnership with MOC personnel. "We've worked together for several years," and continuously seek process improvements, Mr. Woolverton said.
"We're the only complex MOC that operates at this level," he continued. "We provide real-time tracking and real-time reporting. We're more in-depth, have more interaction with senior leaders, and maintain a 24/7 lifeline to commanders."

MOC systems have proven successful and have been used as the blueprint for development of a command-wide systems that will be deployed at Robins, Hill and Davis-Monthan Air Force Bases in the near future.

Not so many years ago, operations in the MOC were entirely manual. Small, magnetic airplanes were moved around on a magnetic board by using a pointer, similar to World War II war rooms. "And we used tons of paper," Mr. Woolverton said.

Among the MOC's myriad duties, MOC employees conduct, by shift, daily inspections of various buildings, checking safety and security, electrical outages, flooding from burst pipes, and other mishaps. "If there's a broken pipe, you can bet it will occur on a holiday," Mr. Woolverton sighed.

In addition, MOC controllers work closely with squadrons to determine the extent and adequacy of aerospace ground equipment and to resolve work stoppages. (A work stoppage occurs when support equipment is unavailable for maintenance, Mr. Woolverton explained. Controllers resolve the issue by different means, usually by relocating equipment that's sitting idle, he said.)

Asked for his opinion of Tinker's "Mighty MOC 1," Colonel Tannehill said, "There's none better in the Air Force Sustainment Center or Air Force Materiel Command, and, in my opinion, the Air Force. They are simply the best..."