Around Tinker

Capt. Thomas J. Ackerman has served as the Airfield Operations Flight commander since his arrival in July 2013. He also served more than five months as the Airfield Operations Flight commander while deployed to a base in Southwest Asia. In this capacity, he planned and began execution of over $2.1 billion in airfield construction, all while supporting critical Air Tasking Order directed operations. At Tinker, he leads a dynamic flight of 39 military and 19 civilian personnel spanning two independent functional areas. He oversees stewardship of the $250 million, 1,400 acre airfield and an annual air traffic control operations count exceeding 36,000. This past winter, he maximized resource and asset management of 72nd Air Base Wing snow and ice equipment during a high ops tempo period mixed with severe winter weather activity. These efforts enabled Tinker airfield’s 24/7 mission and kept delays and cancellations to an absolute minimum. Finally, he was a major player in finalizing Tinker’s first-ever Airfield Development and Sustainment Plan. This plan met and closed an Air Base Wing Strategic Plan goal and prioritized $137 million in airfield construction projects for the next two decades.