Control Tower Closure Info

EppyGA

EppyGA

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Let's Fly
Since the other threads were closed due to apparent inability to keep the SZ arguments out of them, I thought I'd start another. I'm a glutton for punishment. :D

I'm based at KLZU and this morning was our monthly EAA Pancake Breakfast. The tower manager (contract tower) stopped by to let us know that the WARN notices will be handed out to his guys on Monday and the tower would be scheduled to close on April 4th.


I suspect the other towers on the list are on a similar schedule. If you've heard anything about your tower post it here.

Until the thread is closed that is. ;)
 
In Missouri

Branson: closure
Columbia Regional: closure
Downtown Tower (Kansas City): overnight shifts eliminated
Jefferson City Memorial: closure
Joplin Regional: closure
Rosecrans Memorial (St. Joseph): closure
Springfield Tower: overnight shifts eliminated

According to St. Louis Post Dispatch

Added edit: Not before March 1
 
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tinerj said:
In Missouri

Branson: closure
Columbia Regional: closure
Downtown Tower (Kansas City): overnight shifts eliminated
Jefferson City Memorial: closure
Joplin Regional: closure
Rosecrans Memorial (St. Joseph): closure
Springfield Tower: overnight shifts eliminated

According to St. Louis Post Dispatch
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Any timing know as yet?
 
LZU and PDK will be crazy without a tower. I had a job interview to LZU tower back in 1999. It was only part-time though so pay wasn't very good. Decided on flying in the Army instead.
 
I wonder how this will affect AirVenture, if at all.
 
Velocity173 said:
LZU and PDK will be crazy without a tower. I had a job interview to LZU tower back in 1999. It was only part-time though so pay wasn't very good. Decided on flying in the Army instead.
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To my knowledge PDK is not on the closure list, LZU, FTY and RYY in the ATL metro.
 
I'm familiar with a number of the towers listed for Texas. Jeepers it's going to be a mess at Arlington and Stinson.
Also, what will all the people that are getting laid off do? This makes me very sad
 
Jeanie said:
I'm familiar with a number of the towers listed for Texas. Jeepers it's going to be a mess at Arlington and Stinson.
Also, what will all the people that are getting laid off do?
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Chip away at the honey do list.
 
Jeanie said:
I'm familiar with a number of the towers listed for Texas. Jeepers it's going to be a mess at Arlington and Stinson.
Also, what will all the people that are getting laid off do? This makes me very sad
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KSSF and KGTU are the ones I would be the most concerned about. KBAZ and KHYI - not so much. They were fine without them.

Ryan
 
As we know, the cuts aren't targeted at the low hanging fruit, they are targeted to cause the maximum amount of pain and gnashing of teeth.

KLZU needs a tower on Saturday's, as does KRYY. Can't speak for either one the other 6 days of the week.
 
Many of the Texas airports I visit are on the list. Arlington for example will be criminally dangerous during any major sporting event. They just built a new tower, terminal, and giant ramp because of the Super Bowl. Arlington is also right next to Grand Prairie which already causes problems with a tower. I have no idea how they came up with this list, but some of these need a tower.
 
Alexb2000 said:
Many of the Texas airports I visit are on the list. Arlington for example will be criminally dangerous during any major sporting event. They just built a new tower, terminal, and giant ramp because of the Super Bowl. Arlington is also right next to Grand Prairie which already causes problems with a tower. I have no idea how they came up with this list, but some of these need a tower.
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This will give you an idea.
http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/2013_02_22_10_00_10.pdf
 
Tarheel Pilot said:
I wonder how this will affect AirVenture, if at all.
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It won't. First, even if the cuts are still in effect in July, AirVenture has enough traffic that there's no possibility they could claim that safety wouldn't be compromised by lack of a tower. Second, I would be very surprised if Congress hadn't gotten off their collective posterior by then and passed something. Probably just kicking the can further down the road, but still...
 
The next edition of the Airport Facility Directory is good for March 7 - May 3. I wonder if it will show the new hours of operation for the towers, or if they'll have to do it by NOTAM after the AFD goes to press.
 
NoHeat said:
The next edition of the Airport Facility Directory is good for March 7 - May 3. I wonder if it will show the new hours of operation for the towers, or if they'll have to do it by NOTAM after the AFD goes to press.
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NOTAM.
 
Alexb2000 said:
Many of the Texas airports I visit are on the list. Arlington for example will be criminally dangerous during any major sporting event. They just built a new tower, terminal, and giant ramp because of the Super Bowl. Arlington is also right next to Grand Prairie which already causes problems with a tower. I have no idea how they came up with this list, but some of these need a tower.
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I've heard plenty of horror stories about pre-tower GKY that's for sure.
 
Our tower closed Friday while we were flying. Of course, it closes every day at the same time. We kept flying and my student did his night solo announcing his position reports.
 
Yeah, the joke is the GKY stands for "go kill yourself". .. Course it's not very funny
 
Jeanie said:
.....Also, what will all the people that are getting laid off do? This makes me very sad
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..

Don't be sad....:no:

Back 10 years or so they shut down the government and alot of National park employees in Yellowstone and Grand Teton Nation Park were "(laid off).;);)... They all knew the routine and most took extended vacations and enjoyed life.. Why...:dunno:.... because they knew full well when the shut down was over they would receive back pay.........

I would bet 10 bucks the same thing will happen this time too...
 
I fly out of KBJC, which is on the list for tower closure and I'm not sure I will fly there with the tower closed. With the busy airspace and the amount of traffic, especially the jets, I don't know if it's worth the risk.

I know there are other airports with impending tower closures that are even busier (but BJC is the one I'm familiar with). What is everyone else who may be impacted by this going to do? Avoid the closed tower airports? Continue to fly to them? Wait and see how it works out?
 
We have a contract tower at KOLM and it, along with a number of others in the state, is scheduled to close. Of course, it already is from 8 pm to 8 am local time. Better with it, but we'll live. This will probably be temporary anyway (I hope).
 
We have four of six local Class D's on the list including my home field. I prefer flying with the tower, so I'm going to miss it.
 
ColoPilot said:
I fly out of KBJC, which is on the list for tower closure and I'm not sure I will fly there with the tower closed. With the busy airspace and the amount of traffic, especially the jets, I don't know if it's worth the risk.

I know there are other airports with impending tower closures that are even busier (but BJC is the one I'm familiar with). What is everyone else who may be impacted by this going to do? Avoid the closed tower airports? Continue to fly to them? Wait and see how it works out?
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Many of the airports I go to on the list will be fine without a tower. Others like GKY (Arlington, TX) I will avoid and I would move if I were based there. It isn't the amount of traffic, it's the proximity to the Class B under a 3,000' shelf, Grand Prairie 3 miles away on another frequency, and a large cluster of 2500' towers 7 miles away, leaving South as the only real way in or out.

I'm sure other airports have similar complexities that I would have hoped were considered in this "plan".
 
Jeanie said:
Yeah, the joke is the GKY stands for "go kill yourself". .. Course it's not very funny
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I've heard that before. I used to fly out of there a lot. I think that place will be dangerous without a tower.... Pure chaos. Too many foreign students who barely know english.
 
N801BH said:
..

Don't be sad....:no:

Back 10 years or so they shut down the government and alot of National park employees in Yellowstone and Grand Teton Nation Park were "(laid off).;);)... They all knew the routine and most took extended vacations and enjoyed life.. Why...:dunno:.... because they knew full well when the shut down was over they would receive back pay.........

I would bet 10 bucks the same thing will happen this time too...
Click to expand...

I bet 100 bucks that non-FAA controllers at contract towers won't get a dime of back pay if the towers get shut down. Contractors never get back pay during government furloughs. Now if their employer wants to make up the difference that's a different story, but that rarely happens.

I have my doubts anyone will get back pay as a result of the sequestration.
 
CT Control Tower Closure Info

The airports in Connecticut that will be operating without ATC controllers are:


BDR Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Bridgeport CT



DXR Danbury Municipal Danbury CT



GON Groton-New London Groton (New London) CT



HFD Hartford-Brainard Hartford CT



HVN Tweed-New Haven New Haven CT



OXC Waterbury-Oxford Oxford CT
​



KBDL (Bradley) will remain operational w/ controllers​
​
 
Is there somewhere to check to see the status of each of these towers? Tucson's only Class D (rest is Class C or un-towered) KRYN is on the list and I'm curious as to if its going to be shutdown.
 
I hope RYN is kept open... I enjoy being able to go there for the ILS even coming from CHD. It's worth the half hour flight to not deal with Casa Grande. That place really needs a tower.. But we all know that wont happen.
 
clawz said:
Is there somewhere to check to see the status of each of these towers? Tucson's only Class D (rest is Class C or un-towered) KRYN is on the list and I'm curious as to if its going to be shutdown.
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I did some quick checks and haven't found a definitive list, but would like you, would like to see which ones are actually being changed. I am not looking forward to extra delays at O'hare as the furloughs seem to be system-wide. :(
 
Z06_Mir said:
I hope RYN is kept open... I enjoy being able to go there for the ILS even coming from CHD. It's worth the half hour flight to not deal with Casa Grande. That place really needs a tower.. But we all know that wont happen.
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I live up by KAVQ (Marana Regional) but take the drive to Ryan for my flight lessons. The day I went out to KAVQ to interview a CFI it looked like an accident waiting to happen with pilots seemingly doing whatever they wanted.

Instructor down at Ryan said they were supposed to put a tower out there years ago but killed the project at the last second. She also said she will take me through there a few times for practice but generally does not endorse students to solo there themselves for safety reasons.
 
Do I understand correctly that, so far, no towers have closed due to sequestration? Is it correct that no towers will close (due to sequestration) prior to April 7?
 
Jim_R said:
Do I understand correctly that, so far, no towers have closed due to sequestration?
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Affirmative.

Is it correct that no towers will close (due to sequestration) prior to April 7?
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Affirmative, furlough letters were sent today indicating that furloughs begin with the pay period that starts on April 7.
 
I am truly astounded at how many GA pilots actually care if there's a control tower.

As a 19 year, all-for-fun-by-choice GA pilot, I look at towers as somewhere between mildly annoying and somewhat helpful -- but certainly not necessary in any way. If they all went away tomorrow, I doubt I would notice. If anything, I might fly into MORE big airports if I didn't have the hassle of dealing with ATC.
 
Jay Honeck said:
I am truly astounded at how many GA pilots actually care if there's a control tower.
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Yep. Discussions about "this airport is under the Class B, complex airspace, etc".
Try Peter O'Knight (TPF).
Under the 1200ft shelf of Tampa (TPA) Bravo, 1.2 miles from the surface area, with the edge of MacDill AFB's Delta airspace practically in the pattern, two miles from the approach end of MacDill's Rwy 22 (with inbound traffic going right over the airport), and with downtown skyscrapers blocking northeastbound travel (meaning you either go toward MacDill, toward the TPA suface area, or out over the bay).

http://skyvector.com/?ll=27.9373129...7.86692161794073,-82.51080322616622:A.K7.KTPA

Never had a tower, doesn't need one.
 
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roncachamp said:
Affirmative.



Affirmative, furlough letters were sent today indicating that furloughs begin with the pay period that starts on April 7.
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Any furloughs less than xx days require a 30 day written notice.
Longer furloughs or permanent termination require 60 days notice.

30 days leads to the pay period that stars 7 April.

Towers not closing in the LAS valley, controllers just got their notification for furloughs. I suspect it will be 1 day off without pay per week for the next 22 weeks. That's what our GS DoD people are being told. 22 weeks left in the fiscal year. That's a 20% weekly pay cut.

EDIT: Today's paper said the Local ATC only have to take 11 days off in the next 11 pay periods. Interesting that all the other GS employees are forced to 22 days off in the next 11 , 2 week pay cycles.
 
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Jay Honeck said:
I am truly astounded at how many GA pilots actually care if there's a control tower.

As a 19 year, all-for-fun-by-choice GA pilot, I look at towers as somewhere between mildly annoying and somewhat helpful -- but certainly not necessary in any way. If they all went away tomorrow, I doubt I would notice. If anything, I might fly into MORE big airports if I didn't have the hassle of dealing with ATC.
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It's a shame that you see them as a hassle instead of a resource...
 
GCA319 said:
It's a shame that you see them as a hassle instead of a resource...
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+1

Apart from improving operations safety at crowded fields, if IFR I would MUCH rather go into a towered airport than one with no operating tower.

If conditions are VFR then it doesn't matter, I'll cancel in the air, but if a go-around would put me in the clouds, I'm keeping my IFR clearance all the way to the ground.

At home base (no tower), canceling IFR on the ground means pulling off the runway, shutting down the engine, and calling ATC on my cellphone.

I'd much rather let them do it for me -- and in exchange for that and other services, the "hassle" of talking to them on the radio is small potatoes.

Just MHO.
 
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