Published by Tom Thinnes on Thu, Jul 02, 2015
WMU Alumni Bronson Barth in front of the Louisville Air Traffic Control tower
Kentucky is famous for its bourbon distilleries, bluegrass music, a certain Colonel who made chicken “finger licking good,” and horse racing. In the state are the city of Louisville and the Louisville International Airport, which was chosen in 2005 as the UPS heavy airfreight hub and a 235-foot air traffic control tower. Climbing the 22 stories on a regular basis is Bronson Barth, Western Michigan University alumni, Air Traffic Controller and aviation enthusiast.
As a child experiencing his formative years in Lapeer, MI, Bronson Barth just liked airplanes. The experience and awe of watching something so mammoth take to the skies was inspiring to the young Barth. Thinking back on the experience, Barth doesn’t recall a specific memory. “Looking back, I remember always wanting to see the airplanes. Every chance I got, I took it. If I had an opportunity to travel by the Detroit Airport with my parents, I was begging to stop and watch.”
Graduating from Lapeer East High School in 1988, Barth was positioned to pursue a degree in aviation. With the fascination that stemmed from the basic question, “How in the world can an 8,000 pound machine fly?” Barth pursued and obtained his private pilots license before graduation. “I learned to fly in your typical aircraft: Cessna 150s, 172, etc. It didn’t matter, because I was in the air.”
Arriving at Western Michigan University in 1988, Barth began working on his aviation degree. While studying about the aviation sciences, he had the opportunity to work with some of the aviation legends at WMU: Bob Aardema, Ron Sacket and Leard Wylie. According to Barth, “If I remember correctly, my fellow classmates were hesitant to take Mr. Wylie’s class. The rumors were his class was exceptionally hard. Listening to the stories, I put off taking his class. When I finally took it, I excelled in it and earned an ‘A.’ The most impressive thing about his class was his knowledge of aircraft. Mr. Wylie worked for Cessna, so you couldn’t skirt your way around the subject. He knew aircraft like the back of his hand.”
Barth proudly displaying his WMU College of Aviation challenge coin
Like many aviation students, Barth made connections with many of his faculty. One of these relationships would alter his life and direct him down his current path as an Air Traffic Controller. “I was on campus one day and I received a call from Tom Deckard,” said Barth. “He wanted me to take a test with the FAA.” The test led to the opportunity to co-op in air traffic control, allowing him to spend a semester working with the FAA. Soon after graduating in April of 1993, Barth was hired full time with the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller.
Looking back on nearly 25 years of air traffic control, Barth continues to relish the job he has. “The best thing about the job, it is different every day. I never know what the weather is going to bring or what type of aircraft I am going to see and control.” During his tenure, Barth has spent time at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City doing his initial training; he then spent a year and a half at MBS International Airport in Saginaw, MI. After which, he transferred to Tulsa, OK where he stayed for 12 years before moving to his current position in Louisville.
One thing about Air Traffic Controllers, they have a couple of retirement benchmarks. Controllers have a mandatory retirement age of 56, or can retire after 25 years of controlling active traffic. “My co-op time doesn’t count toward the active traffic requirement,” said Barth. “Therefore, I still have three years until I can retire.” When asked what he plans on doing afterwards, “I plan on doing as little as I can. Or, whatever I want!” For Barth, that may mean spending more time with his horses, which have become a regular weekend activity.
In addition to the diversity offered by the job, Barth has also enjoyed a couple of other aviation perks thanks to the job. In Tulsa, there was a substantial Warbird club whose members had a standing policy – “Never fly with an empty seat!” Who better to take than the off-duty controller who had a passion for aviation? “That was a great experience,” remembered Barth. “I got time in a T-6 Harvard, Extra 300, Scout Float Plane and several others.”
Memories of Western Michigan University go beyond his time in the aviation program. “There are a couple of things I can’t forget,” stated Barth. “Who could forget about the marshmallow fights at the Bronco football games! It got to the point, we were routinely patted down to ensure we weren’t carrying any marshmallow contraband.” Barth also has many fond memories of his last two years, which he spent as a resident advisor in Britton Hall.
Looking at the scope in an ATC tower, it is hard to see aviation as a small industry. There are hundreds of dots, all indicating some type of plane in action. However, as many people in the industry soon discover, it is incredibly small. For air traffic controllers, whose interactions are usually reserved to radio communication, their voice becomes their identification. “It can be very weird,” said Barth. “You don’t have visual identification cues, you use voice recognition. For example, I worked with a gentleman from Barbados while in Tulsa. Many years later, I was talking with him from Louisville and he recognized my voice. It solidified my belief in the smallness of the aviation profession.”
The world is a large place. Aviation has helped to make it smaller by connecting distant locations. Taking what he learned at WMU and building upon it, Bronson Barth is an integral part in making those places easier to access. Without him, and other air traffic controllers, the ease of air travel would be anything but easy. Not only does he control the airspace over Louisville, he occasionally welcomes a Bronco Aviator as they fly into his space. Next time you’re in the air over the Bluegrass State, make sure to say, “Go Broncos!” You may be talking with a fellow WMU Alumni.