MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- The 35th Fighter Wing hosted its inaugural Landing Zone Safety Officer (LZSO) course July 15th through 26th, 2024 at Misawa Air Base. Members from Anderson Air Force Base, Yokota Air Base, and Osan Air Base came together in the two-week training event to gain LZSO classification.
Air traffic controllers, radar airfield weather systems technicians and airfield managers from across the Pacific Air Forces showcased the importance of cohesion and the Multi-Capable Airman concept. Participants learned how to establish safe landing zones (LZs) by simulating a deployed environment and better understand their roles in the hub and spoke concept.
“We’re leveraging the talent within the airfield operations community to provide a contingency or expeditionary option for our senior leaders,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Cooke, 374th Operations Support Squadron LZSO course director. “We’re targeting each career field within this community and giving them a better understanding of how to operate in a deployed environment, which aligns with the MCA concept.”
The course began with classroom instruction and transitioned into a hands-on approach, covering all aspects of establishing LZs. Participants learned airfield assessment, weather analysis, airfield marking placement, and how to effectively communicate with aircraft crews and air traffic control towers when performing operations in austere environments.
“A challenging aspect of this course was remembering all the details involved in establishing LZs,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Nelson Guerra, 36th Operations Support Squadron radar and airfield weather systems noncommissioned officer in charge. “There’s a lot of communication with aircraft and numerous details that go into setting up the LZ. Those of us not in air traffic control had to grasp patterns and other factors we hadn’t considered before.”
Through this course, participants earned the designation of LZSO, equipping them to perform and share lateral career field knowledge for a unified and mission-ready force across the Indo-Pacific region.