So, my home airport...

G

gcd89

Pattern Altitude
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Greg D.
OMG, how could an airport ever function without a controller!
 
Part 121 scheduled service to untowered airports is not without precendent. Happens pretty often, actually. However, two things: 1. usually the places are not busy, 2. the article is talking about closing down the whole shop.
 
gcd89 said:
Is in danger of getting it's control tower taken because of bloated govt. spending

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay.../2012/08/report-st-petersburg-clearwater.html

Now, for GA purposes, I can understand "not needing" ATC people....but there's also a lot of military and airline traffic at this airport (alligiant airlines, vision airlines, sunwing, US Coast Guard, US Army)...can those operate without control towers?
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Seems more like election year arm-waving than anything else IMO.

Now I don't know how FAA decides who gets towers, and how they decide to staff towers themselves or contract them out. But an airport that has enough commercial activity to move 1,000 pax/day probably isn't going to fall victim to the budget axe.
 
zaitcev said:
2. the article is talking about closing down the whole shop.
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And that is exactly the kind of fear-mongering that has caused the problem in the first place. And the same kind of fear-mongering that tends to fall out of pretty much ANY discussion about aviation.

We'll stop there before I have to move this to Spin Zone.
 
zaitcev said:
Part 121 scheduled service to untowered airports is not without precendent. Happens pretty often, actually. However, two things: 1. usually the places are not busy, 2. the article is talking about closing down the whole shop.
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I suspect the reference to closing down the whole shop is one of those scare things that papers like to do as well as political campaigns.
 
EppyGA said:
OMG, how could an airport ever function without a controller!
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Yeah, those planes can't just fly themselves! Just look at what happens to the ones that don't file flight plans!
 
Before we all get alarmist here, did anyone read the article? This is John Podesta's group "Center for American Progress" that raised this alarm in the event sequestration happens in Washington. It's partisan politics, which foolishly hit the Business Journal.

This thread probably should get thrown into the SZ.
 
AND, if the airport loses all ATC services guess what:
:the airlines move away - not necessarily all bad
: Military curbs it's activities - not necessarily all bad
The airport becomes quiet and sleepy... The gate gets left unlocked... Guys in Cubs, Huskys on floats, and ultralights start using the field... T-hangers become available for rent...
And paradise lost gets a little more like paradise again...
Seems like a win-win to me (sigh - not gonna happen)
 
gcd89 said:
Is in danger of getting it's control tower taken because of bloated govt. spending

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/blog/morning-edition/2012/08/report-st-petersburg-clearwater.html

Now, for GA purposes, I can understand "not needing" ATC people....but there's also a lot of military and airline traffic at this airport (alligiant airlines, vision airlines, sunwing, US Coast Guard, US Army)...can those operate without control towers?
Click to expand...

what do you mean by 'alot'?

The airnav daily ops for mil and jets are pretty low - less than 2 an hour on average -

but like others say - its just election year noise to some member of the public like you worked up to make a stink. there are not going to have an MD80 operating making pattern calls . . .
 
X3 Skier said:
"Podunk Traffic, this is Delta 1234, if there is anyone in the area, please advise."

Cheers
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I was thinking more like "Podunk Traffic, Delta 1234 15 mile straight-in for runway xx, everyone else get the hell out of our way, Podunk" :rofl::rofl:
 
comanchepilot said:
but like others say - its just election year noise to some member of the public like you worked up to make a stink. there are not going to have an MD80 operating making pattern calls . . .
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The MD80s make pattern calls at FNL...

And the Great Lakes King Airs and Key Lime whatevers make pattern calls all over Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, ...
 
comanchepilot said:
what do you mean by 'alot'?

The airnav daily ops for mil and jets are pretty low - less than 2 an hour on average -

but like others say - its just election year noise to some member of the public like you worked up to make a stink. there are not going to have an MD80 operating making pattern calls . . .
Click to expand...

The Coast Guard is doing C-130 touch and goes nearly every day.
 
Dr. O said:
AND, if the airport loses all ATC services guess what:
:the airlines move away - not necessarily all bad
: Military curbs it's activities - not necessarily all bad
The airport becomes quiet and sleepy... The gate gets left unlocked... Guys in Cubs, Huskys on floats, and ultralights start using the field... T-hangers become available for rent...
And paradise lost gets a little more like paradise again...
Seems like a win-win to me (sigh - not gonna happen)
Click to expand...

Really? This is a little info on CGAS Clearwater from their webpage:

We are the largest and busiest Air Station in the Coast Guard. In addition to the local area, our Area of Operations includes the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean basin, and the Bahamas. We constantly maintain deployed H-60s for Operations Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT), a joint DEA, Coast Guard, Bahamian Turks and Caicos anti-drug and migrant smuggling operation in the Bahamas. We also have C-130s deployed in support of JIATF operations in the Caribbean. This is done while simultaneously maintaining a constant Bravo Zero Search and Rescue response at home in Florida.

For those who don't know, Bravo Zero means there is a unit ready to launch on demand 24/7/365. (Bravo status means standby, the number following the status class is the time required to go to Alpha, which is operational.)
 
Clark1961 said:
The MD80s make pattern calls at FNL...

And the Great Lakes King Airs and Key Lime whatevers make pattern calls all over Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, ...
Click to expand...

Once while training I heard on the CTAF for KJOT:
"Joliet Traffic, United 12345 overflying midfield at flight level 350, Joliet"

My instructor started laughing, said he recognized the voice, and that the united pilot had been a former student there. Fun times.
 
And from FL350, everybody in the midwest on 122.7 heard it as well.
 
i suspect a PR disaster would occur if the tower did go away. remember the sleeping ATC guys a year or so ago?

not that most passengers would have a clue if the airport they land at was controlled or not though.
 
At 350 movements/day, I doubt that the tower would go away. Maybe reduced hours, reduced services or move to a contract tower.
 
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