WTF? How the **** do you phone the tower?

MAKG1

MAKG1

Touchdown! Greaser!
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MAKG
So, I want to do some landing practice at Oakland tonight. Now, it's baseball season, and the usual North Field spots are inside the stadium TFR, and there is an A's game tonight. Flight training activities are prohibited in some TFRs, but not the stadium TFR. I do need to be under "positive ATC control" to operate inside the TFR. Not a problem, as long as Tower will approve closed traffic.

So, I thought I'd call the tower and find out if they would approve it.

Except the tower number is a big secret. WTF? It's not in the A/FD. It's not in the FAA website (though the TRACon and Center numbers are there). No one has phone book government pages anymore.

So, I called the ops number, which is in the A/FD. I got a know-nothing receptionist who refused to give me the Tower number! She offered to relay, which I guess was my only option. I asked if closed traffic would be allowed during the stadium TFR. She responded that the airport would not be closed. Sigh. That's not what I asked. I eventually changed that to "flight training activities" and got an answer that it might be different, but would be allowed. I have no confidence that the answer will be anywhere near right, given the confusion between a closed airport and closed traffic. Or maybe the difference is that closed traffic isn't allowed….

So, how the hell ARE we supposed to find out this stuff? Am I supposed to just arrive there, ask for the option, and deal with it if they say no? Seems kinda stupid to me.
 
I don't know anywhere central that publishes them, but the airport manager should be quick to provide it if you ask. You might be able to get the number from FSS, too.
 
MAKG1 said:
I called ops.

They had it but wouldn't give it to me.

I also called the central switchboard (the one on the OAK website). They gave me a number, but it was disconnected.
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Did you try the airport manager? Jeeze, this shouldn't be some secret. As a pilot you may have valid needs to call those guys. I'd get on the radio and ask them on the ground freq.
 
FSS or sometimes the FBO's will give it to you.
 
write-stuff said:
Did you try the airport manager? Jeeze, this shouldn't be some secret. As a pilot you may have valid needs to call those guys. I'd get on the radio and ask them on the ground freq.
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I was also thinking the airport management and/or asking the controller on ground.

Or go out, really eff up, and get the mandatory "I have a number for you to call" :eek: :eek:

I agree it shouldn't be a big deal.
 
Local CFI may have it.
 
write-stuff said:
Yeah, that's a good possibility, too. I know I have the tower number in my cell phone.
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Me too. And collecting the regional/local IFR clearance numbers as I go.
 
If Flight Service doesn't have the number for the Tower, they should at least be able to give you the number for the TRACON who should be able to connect you with Tower. Sometimes you can find the number for TRACON on Airnav.com

Other options would be to call the FSDO and see if they will give it to you, or simply go to the airport and call tower on the radio and ask.
 
Just call the FBO, they'll easily give it to you.
 
Yeah I use acukwik as well. Got it on my phone. KOAK twr is in there.
 
Just do something really stupid in their airspace and they'll give you their number over the air.

:D
 
LDJones said:
Just do something really stupid in their airspace and they'll give you their number over the air.

:D
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I've heard someone else do that -- I think it was a Class C surface area bust -- but I didn't have the foresight to write it down.
 
Just get in the plane and go taxi across the runway, you will be given the tower's phone number to call. :D
 
As others have said, I've always been able to get tower...approach...and center numbers from lockmart.

Never had an issue using this approach.
 
Why are you so bent on doing T&G's at KOAK anyway? Why not just fly in, ask for closed traffic, and if they don't give it to you, do a full stop taxiback and practice closed traffic someplace else?
 
Sac Arrow said:
Why are you so bent on doing T&G's at KOAK anyway? Why not just fly in, ask for closed traffic, and if they don't give it to you, do a full stop taxiback and practice closed traffic someplace else?
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I need to be there this evening.

I probably won't go 'cause the marine layer forecast is moving earlier, and the return home is becoming iffy.

I'd rather not waste the fuel to fly in, fly out, then fly in again.

It seems exceptionally unreasonable that I can't find this out -- easily -- ahead of time. Phoning the tower for operations should be as simple as phoning ATIS.
 
I'm guessing the tower only has a vague idea that the stadium "TFR" even exists.

I'm thinking it does not affect their operations at all.
 
Is there a sign next to the phone next to the door at the bottom of the tower?
 
Matthew said:
Call FSS and ask?
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Yep. Call FSS and ask.

I got the number for Chicago when I wanted to fly Young Eagles from Meigs when my transponder had a bad altitude encoder. I got permission, but I shoulda wrote down her name.
 
In this particular case, I can guarantee you that touch and goes are allowed at OAK during Coliseum TFRs. Marine layer is well and truly in, though.

Tower's number is 510-273-7418 from my phone book, I don't remember where I got it.
 
MAKG1 said:
I got a know-nothing receptionist who refused to give me the Tower number! She offered to relay,
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Something tells me its not her. (its gotta be policy, same here)

:idea:

I've never had a problem getting thru via relayed, not even at 5:30 am when the tower just opened for business. The airport security communications center # here isn't "published" either.

:dunno:
 
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The Pilot's Guide to California Airports lists the Oakland Tower number as (510) 273-7410. (I'm not sure whether that's up to date, because their mailings of updates seem to have gotten a little iffy.)

I see that the phone number of Palo Alto Tower is in the phone book, in the government section, under United States Government, Federal Aviation Administration. However, I checked the Oakland phone book online, and Oakland Tower doesn't seem to be in there. :dunno:

http://www.realpageslive.com/Olive/AMDD/ATnT/Default.aspx?href=AT2/1761/03/17&view=document

They do have a listing for the FSDO.
 
Another instructor and I asked the our local tower controllers this while we were visiting one day and running lost comm scenarios past them. They happily gave us the tower number (which we already had) but also gave us the number for the local tracon and center traffic management unit along with the center supervisor's desk. We discussed who would be the logical one to call and of course we all agreed that if we had an idea of who's airspace we were in that would be the logical one. They also said if all else fails call them from wherever we were and they'd get us connected to the right person.

By the way we have the best controllers I've ever had the pleasure of working with both as a pilot and a former controller.
 
MAKG1 said:
I need to be there this evening.

I probably won't go 'cause the marine layer forecast is moving earlier, and the return home is becoming iffy.

I'd rather not waste the fuel to fly in, fly out, then fly in again.

It seems exceptionally unreasonable that I can't find this out -- easily -- ahead of time. Phoning the tower for operations should be as simple as phoning ATIS.
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Ah. I see.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Ah. I see.
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Well, the forecast was spot on. OAK was IFR at 10PM last night. BKN009. And there was a nice big cloud hanging right over the 30 numbers.

Good thing I didn't fly.

Well, except the traffic was terrible. Some poor schmuck broke down right at the top of the high rise on the eastbound Dumbarton Bridge. It was a two hour drive from Mountain View.
 
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Dumb question: Who answers the phone at the tower? An on-duty controller? Are they talented enough to talk to you and work traffic at the same time?
 
F01LA said:
Dumb question: Who answers the phone at the tower? An on-duty controller? Are they talented enough to talk to you and work traffic at the same time?
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IME yes and yes.
 
MAKG1 said:
So, I want to do some landing practice at Oakland tonight. Now, it's baseball season, and the usual North Field spots are inside the stadium TFR, and there is an A's game tonight. Flight training activities are prohibited in some TFRs, but not the stadium TFR. I do need to be under "positive ATC control" to operate inside the TFR. Not a problem, as long as Tower will approve closed traffic.

So, I thought I'd call the tower and find out if they would approve it.

Except the tower number is a big secret. WTF? It's not in the A/FD. It's not in the FAA website (though the TRACon and Center numbers are there). No one has phone book government pages anymore.

So, I called the ops number, which is in the A/FD. I got a know-nothing receptionist who refused to give me the Tower number! She offered to relay, which I guess was my only option. I asked if closed traffic would be allowed during the stadium TFR. She responded that the airport would not be closed. Sigh. That's not what I asked. I eventually changed that to "flight training activities" and got an answer that it might be different, but would be allowed. I have no confidence that the answer will be anywhere near right, given the confusion between a closed airport and closed traffic. Or maybe the difference is that closed traffic isn't allowed….

So, how the hell ARE we supposed to find out this stuff? Am I supposed to just arrive there, ask for the option, and deal with it if they say no? Seems kinda stupid to me.
Click to expand...

Make a radio call to ATC and ask them for it.
 
Bust the airspace, buzz the tower, land on a taxiway. They would be glad to give you the number. :lol:

:yes:
 
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