Let me be fair before I start by saying that I work in one of the FCTs in Texas. Even though mine is not currently on any known closure list, we are close to the busiest single-runway airport in the nation with over 160k ops per year, this whole sequester fiasco is more than ridiculous. I've noticed that there are some interesting opinions on here.
Just to name a few...
1) The FAA and ATC are useless and annoying.
2) Most FCT controllers are retired military and are double dipping.
3) The controllers at closed towers will get back pay.
4) Keep the cuts and save the money, Helps the national deficit/ debt.
5) Some nonsense about $77/hr pay for the slow towers.
6) Using AIRNAV statistics during your research for daily operations.
7) There are CTAF airports that do the same or more operations.
8) The ATC service will be handled by other towers in the area.
9) The airport is busy on the weekends, just staff it then.
10) Wouldn't affect IFR procedures (dep./arr.).
And the list goes on... So shall my response to clear up a few things from the other side of the cockpit. (Numbers below correlate with the original phrase from above, btw)
1) Really? You're an idiot. Airports like DFW and ATL void that argument automatically, but we're talking about lower volume towers as a general rule. Saying something like that makes one believe you're the pilot ATC cringes to hear on frequency and takes one for the team by not filing the needed pilot deviation forms almost every time you go burn holes in the sky. Enough on that little nugget.
2) True. A large percentage of FCT controllers are retired military. There are also prior military, like myself (USMC), that didn't serve the full 20 and retired FAA controllers. Retired military controllers MIGHT bring home a whopping 1300/mo versus retired FAA, which ranges from 3500-7000+/mo. Since most people retire from the services before 40, the FCT program is perfect for those guys. Overall the prior/ retired military covers about 65-80% of all FCT controllers. I'm probably biased, but as a taxpayer and having worked with both and seen the skill level differential between military/FAA, I'm pretty sure we overpaid for FAA controllers.
3) Backpay? Not a chance. When these FCT towers close its "good luck and thanks for not killing anyone while you were here." Even the FAAs union, NATCA, has informed them the furloughed loss of pay will not be refunded. Sequester differs greatly from govt shutdowns in the past.
4) I'm all about a smaller government and trimming the rabid fraud/ waste occurring daily. (Thanks to the Churches of Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin, Beck, etc, that I attend on a daily basis. Lol.) Closing nearly all of the FCTs in the nation (almost 200 of the 250+) is near comical as a cost saving tactic. The only thing tactical about these proposed cuts is that a union, NATCA, has a say on how taxpayers have been and will continue to get screwed for generations to come. FCTs control nearly 25% of the reported operations annually on about 1% of the FAA budget. Capitalism at its finest. Oops, did I say the dirty C word? Maybe that's why Obummer and his homeboys have targeted a program that has been successful for nearly 30 years. Especially after the FAA's own Inspector General just completed a report last year praising the safety and cost efficiency (1/5 on avg.) of FCT vs FAA. I mean if your not going to listen to or heed the advise of your own IG, dissolve the department and save even more. When you have 4-8 guys with an average work experience of 25+ years doing the same or more work than 15-30+ (avg. FAA experience is down around 12-16) at a similar airport, it just makes sense.
5) Again, savings are good. Yet from above you can see this is one of the few Gov programs that have actually ever worked. $77/hr is your max base rate for a Center controller. The bulk of the controllers that will lose their jobs make about 1/2 that. Want savings? Take a chunk out of the nearly $1.2T every year wasted on the "baby momma, smart phone toting, got my nails did, free rent, buy my food with an EBT card and pay cash for cigs, lotto and a 40" WELFARE system.
6) AIRNAV is good for fuel prices. Period. If you want to do some actual research on traffic operations at a certain airport, go to the FAA website, search ATADS, then follow the directions. But even seeing a daily or annual number of ops says nothing of a tower's need based on a/c performance differences, different levels pilot experience, emergency assistance, saves (preventing wheels up landings on a daily basis), weather conditions affecting op totals, etc.
7) I'm sure there are busy airports without a tower. There's one just outside my airspace. NMAC (near mid-air collision) Central is one of its nicknames, or home of the airspace violator extraordinaire. Yet compared to the over 600 towers in the nation, there's no comparison at all.
8) If you think actual ATC services will be provided remotely from neighboring facilities I've got some ocean front property in AZ you might be interested in. Got an emergency and need immediate help when you land, but don't have a controller up close and personal to assist in coordinating the efforts because the tower was closed? Sorry. You just totaled your BE-58 due to a gear up landing? Sorry again. You mean that solo student didn't know his radio wasn't working but was sitting on the runway at night, with no lights on, when you landed on him? Sorry.
9) Weekend staffing? Sure why not. Good luck helping the city find a liability insurance company to cover those operations. Not to mention having current, FAA qualified controllers who would take that gig. Qualifications for controllers are based on facility and there are currency minimums that must be followed. Can you be dual qualified? Yes. I was last year when I helped another facility in the area due to a manning issue. Would the FAA do it? Who knows. I do know that if OSH closes, the temporary teams from around the nation will still cover Air Venture in July. They run 2400 ops a day around that time.
10) Sure it will operate just like a CTAF Ap to get IFR clearances and releases for departure. Good luck waiting for that release at airports that host special events, for example Arlington, Tx, during a Cowboys game weekend. They'll run 200-300 jets, all IFR out of that place before and after a game. The usual 2-3 minute release time just went to 1-2 hours. One in/ one out and no tower to assist with visual separation. Sorry the cost of JET-A wasted would have covered the operating expense of that closed tower for that month.
Now that the rant is complete, what could have and should have been done in this closure situation? Are there towers that could close with little to no impact? Absolutely. The combined number is probably closer to less than 40 in the nation. How about this...
Based upon the... recent IG report from the FAA, the FCT average experience levels, cost efficiency (even with the contract companies pulling a moderate profit), current success at higher level airports (mine ranks in the top 80 for total ops out of 600 towers) and the overwhelming user feedback... A larger contract presence could safely and effectively provide all needed ATC services, save money and solve the current manning shortage problems of the FAA. It costs from $300-500,000/yr. for each FCT (4-8 employees total) as compared to it's FAA counterpart (op count and airport configuration) which is run by 15-40 controllers, supervisors, management and administrative personnel which payrolls between $1.8-5M (not to mention the golden tickets of superb health insurance cost, a lucrative pension for life and other excesses on the taxpayers dime). Instead of closing almost 200 towers and endangering the flying community to save approximately $60-75M, you could contract out 150 or more FAA towers and save in excess of $1B annually. Yeah, that's $1,000,000,000. Then by transferring the excess personnel to the larger facilities (tower, approach, center), the shortage gets solved in the process.
So lets see... you save a ton more money, no jobs lost, no furloughs, everyone keeps their towers, FAA staffing problem goes away, etc. The solution is too simple, so based on our fearless leaders on the Hill and public-sector union thugs (that's a whole other saga), it probably wouldn't work.
Common sense really needs to make a comeback. Nearly 1/3 of all towers in the nation are on a list to close. Will it actually happen? Who knows. Yet if it does, good luck out there. Any damage, death or tragedy that follows is solely upon the Socialist In Charge and his cronies sitting in Our House (which is still closed for tours btw) in DC.
Good night!
