TALL radio tower near 3CK

gprellwitz

gprellwitz

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Grant Prellwitz
Perhaps the Pilots at Lake of the Hills Airport and the local community that relies on that airport being accessible should approach the college to stop the construction.

Loss of revenue and use of the airport could be charged against the college or the builder of the tower or both.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
good Lord, can such a structure exist w/o cables??
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Eifel_Tower.jpg


This is how it is being pitched to the community.

The Board of Trustees of the College last year tried to build a baseball stadium. This year, tower. They do everything but help the college. Most people are up in arms and the city of Crystal Lake would also have to approve the tower.

The location of the tower would not interfere with any approach into 3CK. With ORD airspace expansion it would make flying around IFR a bit more interesting though.
 
smigaldi said:
...The location of the tower would not interfere with any approach into 3CK. With ORD airspace expansion it would make flying around IFR a bit more interesting though.
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It's make flying around "interesting" IFR or VFR. 1500 feet AGL + 500 would almost touch the Bravo, which at 3600 MSL is ~2800 AGL. :yikes:

The FAA has to power to ka-bosh it. What we don't know if the current administrator woudl give damn.
 
mikea said:
The FAA has to power to ka-bosh it.
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Not directly. If the FAA determined it would be a hazard to air navigation the FCC would not likely issue the necessary broadcast licenses and without those it's unlikely the tower would be constructed.
 
mikea said:
If they're only 300 feet AGL it shouldn't be too much of a concern.
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That's the height of the tower. With the Blades, they will be intermittently about 500ft high. Still not real bad. (And there is usually space to get through between the blades. :yikes: )

Barb
 
A 1500 AGL tower a few miles N of 3CK is definitely an issue for all local pilots. Madison, WI has a few ~1000AGL towers on the West side and anytime I have flown into Morey (airport on the NW side), they certainly occupy an excessive amount of my attention.

I fly to Madison and Minneapolis pretty frequently, and the VFR climbout is pretty much exactly in the direction of the community college where the tower is proposed. I flew this course last week, and found that in winter, getting to 1500 AGL by the community college is easy. In summer, heavily loaded... it will be a concern, and we will have to plan for lateral navigation around the tower.

Also, for IFR ops. The missed approach for 3CK's VOR-26 is a climbing right hand turn to 2400 and then back to the R-269 off of OBK (which is the same radial for the approach). I have not mapped it out, but I bet in a slightly under standard rate turn, the tower would be directly in the flightpath, particularly if the missed approach is started late.
 
nyoung said:
A 1500 AGL tower a few miles N of 3CK is definitely an issue for all local pilots. Madison, WI has a few ~1000AGL towers on the West side and anytime I have flown into Morey (airport on the NW side), they certainly occupy an excessive amount of my attention.
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ATC's, too. Taking off from runway 21 at MSN, if you don't turn fairly soon after takeoff they'll point out the towers even if it's severe clear out. They're also the reason that IFR traffic is cleared to 5000 while VFR's are "3000 or below", the reason for the split MSA on the approach plates, and the reason for the obstacle departure procedures at MSN. Ironically, the ODP for runway 21 is to maintain runway heading (209) until a certain altitude, which sends you almost directly at the shorter tower. :dunno:

The taller of the two towers is an easy way to find Morey, though - Look for the tower, look directly north about 5 miles, there's the field. :yes:

I fly to Madison and Minneapolis pretty frequently, and the VFR climbout is pretty much exactly in the direction of the community college where the tower is proposed. I flew this course last week, and found that in winter, getting to 1500 AGL by the community college is easy. In summer, heavily loaded... it will be a concern, and we will have to plan for lateral navigation around the tower.
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You don't want to be right at the top of the tower anyway, though, so you'll probably need to go around no matter what.

Also, for IFR ops. The missed approach for 3CK's VOR-26 is a climbing right hand turn to 2400 and then back to the R-269 off of OBK (which is the same radial for the approach). I have not mapped it out, but I bet in a slightly under standard rate turn, the tower would be directly in the flightpath, particularly if the missed approach is started late.
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I think that's probably the biggest issue. For you in the Cherokee flying category A, if a standard rate turn would get you inside the tower, a Category B or C airplane would be flying right into the tower.
 
Approved
CRYSTAL LAKE – The McHenry County College Board of Trustees signed a deal potentially worth $7 million by agreeing to sell 3.6 acres of land to a company set on building a 1,500-foot broadcast tower.
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http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2009/03/13/r_njmghwaktjqpnrgqvjus6g/index.xml

Also FYI
To build the tower, BMB Communications must get approval and the proper permits from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Communications Commission and the city of Crystal Lake. Under provisions of the deal, the college won’t get the $6 million donation until BMB Communications gets a green light to erect the tower, Kerrick said.
If built, it would be the tallest tower of its kind in the world, according to John Maguire, co-owner of BMB Communications Management.
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I'm flying into 3CK on 3/14, and heard that their Wx station was built in a low-lying depression, leaving wind speed and direction innacurate. Fortunately winds will be light, but otherwise what do you do - use DuPage Wx or something?
 
nddons said:
I'm flying into 3CK on 3/14, and heard that their Wx station was built in a low-lying depression, leaving wind speed and direction innacurate. Fortunately winds will be light, but otherwise what do you do - use DuPage Wx or something?
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Yes that is true Stan. The AWOS there is built where it is shielded from the wind. I use it but am aware of the limitations. DPA is the next closest WX.

The AWOS is near the end of 08, just to south. There are a couple of berms that do a really good job of shielding it from the wind. I don't know who approved the install but they are an idiot.
 
mikea said:
Scott, what are tehy going to do with this tower? TV transmission from the "Willis Tower" in Chicago doesn't work in McHenry County*?

* I know. I need a TV antenna on a tower.
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Probably some radio stuff. West of the Fox River until Rockford there are several radio blind spots. With the growth in the NW media companies are finally starting to realize that McHenry county is not the Rockford media market and they will want to cover that area. As for TV, I don't know what the digital TV footprints look like these days. I know it is not always a one for one match to analog. Sometimes bigger many times not.
 
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