As soon as 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is notified of an imminent typhoon, airfield personnel begin to take precautionary measures.

“Overall, the most important thing is safety; we don’t want someone getting hurt or having an aircraft mishap,” said Maj. Jeffrey D. Lee, the airfield operations officer for MCAS Futenma.

As a storm is coming in, the Marines look at it as a worst case scenario, said Lee. They have to be mindful of cross-wind limitations because they only have one runway.

“Cross-winds are strong winds which go perpendicular to the runway,” said Sgt. Chase V. Morrison, a weather forecaster with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron. “This forces the pilots to come in at an angle to land straight.”

As the typhoon approaches and winds pick up, the squadrons usually begin cancelling flights and moving their aircraft to hangars. Once winds are greater than 25 knots, it becomes more dangerous for personnel to secure the equipment, said Lee. 

KC-130J Super Hercules cargo aircraft, unable to be locked down or kept in the hangars, are flown to Guam or another safe location in the region to wait out the storm, said 1st. Lt. Michael R. Guare, the air traffic control officer for MCAS Futenma. All other aircraft are kept in the hangars on the station.

“The airfield begins to shut down as the tropical cyclone approaches,” said Lee. “The Air Traffic Control Maintenance Department starts buttoning up the control tower’s windows and secures sensitive equipment and antennas.”

Airfield operations and ATC are not the only sections that take an approaching typhoon seriously.

Marines with the Installation, Logistics and Services office on MCAS Futenma begin preparing the camp for a typhoon by making sure large items are secured, according to William D. Key, the deputy installation, logistics and services officer on the station.

“The Marines of ILS secure wood and metal scraps, awnings, torii signs, marquees, trash cans and water points all over base,” said Key. “All of these things can become deadly projectiles during the typhoon. Anything that has the ability to fly and become a projectile is locked down.”

ILS provides a dumping station for all wood and metal scraps to reduce hazards during the storm. The facility engineers take all of the scraps once a year, said Key.

The Marines put in long, hard hours when preparing the station for a typhoon, said Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Glackin, the logistics chief for the ILS.

“We’re proactive,” said Glackin. “We try to stay one step ahead of the typhoon.”