My first job – F6 Karlsborg in 1982

I was 21 years old that cold January day in 1982 when I arrived at Air Force Wing No 6 – F6 in Karlsborg. In Karlsborg I worked in the tower and in the radar terminal control.

The terminal control used only PSR, but the fighters were just about to be equipped with transponders.

The F6 Wing had two squadrons of the SAAB Viggen, in its attack/fighter version – AJ37.

This meant a lot of flying VFR, low level and in four-ship formations. Practically all the training I had in school was for IFR traffic doing instrument approaches and not flying in big formations. It took a while for me to adjust.

Another challenge was the TMA. I soon found out there were a lot of users in that TMA, including some 30 or so different areas for ground-to-ground, ground-to-air and air-to-ground firing.

Artists impression of Karlsborg TMA

We also had the Swedish Army paratrooper training in the control zone and if that was not enough the testing of new SAAB aircraft and weaponry also took place in the TMA. Unusual but interesting things happened almost every day.

Paratrooper preparing for a jump from a Dakota…

I stayed in Karlsborg for two years and I think I learned a lot in those years. One thing I’ve carried with me is the great attitude of my fellow controllers.

Some of them were former fighter pilots and they made it very clear to me – air traffic controlling is always a job done for the benefit of those flying. Today that attitude is labeled “customer satisfaction” or “quality management” but in those days it was simply natural common sense, although not always that common…

Night flying…

Working on F6 meant close cooperation with the squadrons. Of course we met them every lunch in the officers mess and we were always welcome to join in a flight with the SAAB 105 /SK60. A chance I of course could not let pass…

Line up runway 24…

Cleared for take-off!

Left base runway 06…

Cleared to land!

Officer’s training in 1983