Visiting ATC?

Trogdor

Trogdor

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Apr 10, 2014
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Trogdor
As a student pilot, I'm fascinated by ATC and learning more about it. Has anyone visited ATC before? What's involved? Are they generally happy to see pilots visit? (can I bring my son who is their biggest fan!).

NOTE: I do most of my towered airport stuff at KTTN.
 
It used to be that you had a pretty good chance to get in if you just rang the bell at the tower. I've been up in the towers at BJC, APA, HEF (which actually was the same tower as APA), OSH (old tower), IAD (the old tower), DCA (the new tower), IAD (the new tower). I took formal tours of ZDC and PCT. I even sat out at the FISK "tracon" for a bit. Best to call up the facility and make an appointment these days.
 
Yes, call the facility on landline and ask if they’re available for a tour. It’s highly likely the visitor policy has changed due to COVID, so tours may or may not be available right now. Never hurts to find out though!
 
When the lockdown ends, definitely visit. I have done it several times. During one TRACON visit I was invited to come back and shadow a controller for most of a shift. Being "plugged in" and seeing how traffic gets worked is a huge learning opportunity. I also have a couple of hours plugged in at a nearby ARTCC . Different game completely. TRACON is rugby, Center is chess. It's not as easy to really get involved when visiting a tower, but a class D is probably slow enough that you could hang around and ask questions. A busy class B, not so much.

Identify yourself as a student pilot when you call.
 
Most Tower and on-airport TRACON are typically very supportive of visits from pilots, and especially student pilots.
As others mentioned, their hands are tied right now due to COVID procedures. When that dust settles, I bet you can easily get a tour - just call them up on the radio at the end of a flight and ask.

Until then, here are a couple of videos I made in Chicago to give you an idea. Though they cannot replace the local knowledge and insight you can get from talking to the crew at YOUR airport.

- Martin


 
Speaking of making phone calls, @ Trogdor, don't be shy about calling the tower, TRACON, or Center, when you have a question. I do it maybe once a year these days but did it more often in the past. Typically you will get the shift supervisor. Ask about rules, why you were told to do something -- pretty much anything. Tell them about problems, too.

One time I was flying as safety pilot and we were cleared/established on the ILS at a non-radar Class D. Suddenly, a King Air popped onto the radio announcing that he was on the approach. I immediately turned us on a right 360 and we watched the KA go by. As it turned out he had been released by Center just 5 miles from the airport, so he never heard us or Tower on the radio before he checked in. The FAA guys pulled the tapes, examined the situation, and revised their rules so that Center would release inbound traffic at 13 miles -- plenty of time to hear local radio action. Sometimes when you call, you will be thanked for advising them of a confusing practice or some other issue. Don't be afraid.
 
Did Raincheck over at Phoenix SkyHarbor, very good and educational experience
 
In normal non-Covid times many of the larger TRACON facility did regular pilot tours. SOCAL TRACON was running them and a whole briefing presentation on a regular basis and was well worth the trip down.

At an airport you can just ask Ground if and when a tower tour is possible and for a number to call if so. Bring cookies.

May have to wait till the whole pandemic thing blows over though....
 
Radar Contact said:
The majority of the FAA is still in pandemic mode. Tours, while great ideas, are on hold for the time being.
Click to expand...

Even the FSDO's are. Had to renew via zoom. And I'm currently a scofflaw since I have my CFI cert which expires 10/31/20 and does NOT have a hole punched in it along with my temp cert. :eek:
 
Till they open again for tours, consider listening to these guys:

http://opposingbases.com

I've enjoyed their podcast and have learned a great deal as a result. YMMV.

-a.
 
A tour (when available) is an excellent idea. You should come away with the realization that the guys in the towers are not the enemy and aren't looking for reasons to give you a number to copy. I found myself quite fascinated at the resources they have available to assist you if/when you find yourself in a dicey situation. They really are humans just like the rest of us (OK most of us).
 
airdale said:
S As it turned out he had been released by Center just 5 miles from the airport, so he never heard us or Tower on the radio before he checked in
Click to expand...
The tower controller at an airport where I experienced a similar event said "That's why they're called 'enroute' controllers."
 
airdale said:
Speaking of making phone calls, @ Trogdor, don't be shy about calling the tower, TRACON, or Center, when you have a question. I do it maybe once a year these days but did it more often in the past. Typically you will get the shift supervisor. Ask about rules, why you were told to do something -- pretty much anything. Tell them about problems, too.

One time I was flying as safety pilot and we were cleared/established on the ILS at a non-radar Class D. Suddenly, a King Air popped onto the radio announcing that he was on the approach. I immediately turned us on a right 360 and we watched the KA go by. As it turned out he had been released by Center just 5 miles from the airport, so he never heard us or Tower on the radio before he checked in. The FAA guys pulled the tapes, examined the situation, and revised their rules so that Center would release inbound traffic at 13 miles -- plenty of time to hear local radio action. Sometimes when you call, you will be thanked for advising them of a confusing practice or some other issue. Don't be afraid.
Click to expand...

If you were in fact ‘cleared’/established on the ILS and by ‘on the approach’ the King Air had been ‘cleared,’ something a whole lot more serious than late communication transfer happened..
 
Ryanb said:
It’s highly likely the visitor policy has changed due to COVID, so tours may or may not be available right now. Never hurts to find out though!
Click to expand...

Radar Contact said:
The majority of the FAA is still in pandemic mode.
Click to expand...

Tried to get a tour back in July shortly after I started training but discovered this to be the case. Will definitely be interested in touring the facility when (if?) it ever opens back up to tours!

Also glad to hear that if I have questions about ATC, I can always just call the tower when I'm back in my office.
 
luvflyin said:
If you were in fact ‘cleared’/established on the ILS and by ‘on the approach’ the King Air had been ‘cleared,’ something a whole lot more serious than late communication transfer happened..
Click to expand...
Hard to say. We were cleared and my guess is that we were invisible under the King Air's nose. If the KA driver had been paying more attention visually he certainly could have seen us, but he obviously hadn't. I have assumed that he got the usual "Maintain x,000 until established, cleared for the approach, contact tower on 11x.y." But maybe not. The local controller was not a player in the game; I'm not sure he realized what had happened -- certainly never said anything on the radio. I happened to know his boss's boss, who owned all the towers in the region, so that's who I called. Not to complain about anyone, just to tell the story and see what comments he had. At that point he took the ball, had the tapes pulled at Center and at the tower, and they ended up revising the LOA to move the handoff point another ten miles out. This was a non-radar tower, so unless the Center controller called on the land line they had no way to know that the KA was being shipped.

All that said, I apologize for the thread drift. I told the story only to encourage the OP to call the appropriate ATC facilility whenever he had questions, including situations he did not understand -- like mine. I have never failed to have a pleasant and informative converstation when I have made those calls.
 
GeorgeC said:
Operation Rain Check is the thing you're looking for, highly recommended.
Click to expand...

Radar Contact said:
The majority of the FAA is still in pandemic mode. Tours, while great ideas, are on hold for the time being.
Click to expand...

^^^ those.

And you’ll have to provide some background check info to visit to make sure you’re not a terrorist once things get back to normal.

Usually a group / organization will have someone contact the Feds and set up the appropriate paperwork and such. Local flying club or whatever.

Well it’s easier that way, anyway...
 
Last time I took a tour was pre-9/11, but back then it was easy. A few of us were out banging around in a 172 on a holiday of some type, may have been Memorial Day or Labor Day. We landed at a nearby Class C when one of us had the bright idea to see about getting a tour, so I asked the ground controller as we were taxiing in. They said sure thing, we'll come get you. As we parked at the FBO, one of the controllers pulled right up to the plane in his personal vehicle to pick us up. It was a pretty quiet day, so I think they were bored and looking for something to do.

Since 9/11, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some type of security check involved now. With COVID, its probably a no-go for the time being.
 
I did the new IAD tower and the PCT TRACON after 9/11. The others were pre-911. We did an organized tour and I think we had to send in names in advance. Also did the NTSB training facility where the TWA 800 fuselage is reconstructed.
 
I did a tour of ZFW pre-covid and they were pretty nice and gave us a great tour. Security was tight, only US citizens with proof of citizenship and no cameras/cell phones.
 
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