A high-flying career

After witnessing multiple presidential visits, construction of a new terminal building, and the advent of automated radar, Buddy Wyatt retired at the end of his shift Tuesday from his position as air traffic controller at Martha’s Vineyard Airport.

His extensive career in the tower spans 30 years, making sure pilots are safe as they take off and land on the runway. 

Sitting in the small circular room at the top of the air traffic control tower, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the number of flashing monitors and incoming radio transmissions, but for Wyatt, the only place he’d rather be is in the cockpit. 

No stranger to aviation, Wyatt got his introduction to flying and directing planes in the Marine Corps.

He spent 22 years in the military, served two tours in Vietnam, and is a retired Marine chief warrant officer. When he retired from the military, Wyatt was looking for an occupation. He was friends with former airport manager Debbie Potter, who suggested he leave his home in Arizona and work here on Martha’s Vineyard.

“I asked her two questions: One, do they have lots of golf courses? And two, do they have country music?” Wyatt said. 

Well, those requirements were met, and Wyatt moved to the Island and began his long career.

Not only did Wyatt get his air traffic control training while serving in the military, but he is also a private pilot, and has been for most of his life. “I love flying. There is nothing quite like it — the freedom you feel up there is just wonderful,” Wyatt said. “I will be flying for the rest of my life.”

Just a few weeks before his 71st birthday, Wyatt said he is ready to move on from the airport and join the Civil Air Patrol in Arizona (and play golf four days a week). But leaving his home and the many friends he has made at the airport, Wyatt said, will not be easy.

“It’s the comradery that I will miss the most. Everyone who works here is very close. We have cookouts, work parties, stuff like that,” Wyatt said. “It’s kind of like one big family.”

Over the many years Wyatt has worked at the airport, innovations in aviation have been made, and the Island has transformed dramatically.

“From a tiny little airport with mostly private aircraft and a few small airlines to a full-scale airport serving some major airports and airlines, a lot has changed,” Wyatt said.

And the technology used to locate and direct incoming and departing aircraft has also changed with the times. “Back before 2004, we didn’t have automated radar; it was a lot more manual work: You had to get a visual of the airplane, nail down wind direction, really make sure the pilot knows what direction they are coming in at, and which runway is cleared for landing,” Wyatt said.

Sometimes, Wyatt said, he deals with inexperienced pilots who are just getting their wings, and he needs to guide them through the most difficult and strenuous process that pilots deal with.

“Sometimes a pilot report will be wrong, and when there are 15 planes in the air all trying to get on a path to land and the radar looks like a hornet’s nest, that can be a big problem,” Wyatt said.

If a plane is taxiing or is parked, Wyatt said it is essential to know exactly where approaching planes are coming from, and where they will land. 

“It can get dicey if you are dealing with the new kid on the block, or you can’t understand what someone is saying. These are high stakes; we are talking about people’s lives,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt said he can tell the number of years pilots have under their belt just by speaking to them. 

“Sometimes I have to put the white gloves on and help people through step by step, kind of baby them through landing and takeoff,” Wyatt said.

Not everyone is cut out to be an air traffic controller, and Wyatt said it takes a “special breed” to make the cut. “There are a number of qualifications, both physical and mental, that you have to meet to work this position,” Wyatt said. “We take our jobs very seriously.”

When Wyatt first moved to the Island, he would tow gliders out of Katama Airfield for the Rev. Michael Nagle — an experience he said he will never forget, despite having owned many different planes over his long career in aviation. “I’ll always have those memories of flying out over South Beach and giving people the ride of their lives up in those gliders,” Wyatt said.

According to Wyatt, flying is his way to unwind and free his mind from the busy thoughts of everyday life. “Getting airborne is my way to escape. When my wife was alive, I did a lot more flying; now I will go up every now and then,” Wyatt said. “It’s not as fun to fly by yourself, you really miss having a co-pilot.”

In the next few weeks, Wyatt said he is looking forward to getting back behind the yoke and going to one of the places he feels happiest — 10,000 feet up with nothing but sky surrounding him.