Within 24 hours of the 2010 Haiti earthquake a team of Combat Controllers from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron stationed at Hurlburt Field , Florida arrived at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince , Haiti . 28 minutes after arriving the Combat Controllers assumed authority of air traffic control duties to allow planes carrying humanitarian aid to land safely . The Combat Controllers directed over 2,500 flights without incident from a card table using only hand radios . Under their direction planes were able to take off and land every five minutes , bringing in over 4 million pounds of supplies . The team leader of the Combat Controllers , Chief Master Sergeant Tony Travis , later was recognized as one of Time Magazine 's 100 most influential people of 2010 due to their efforts
2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
United States Air Force Combat Control Team