ZDV visit

[ejensen]

The Fort Collins-Loveland (FNL) Pilots Association setup a tour of Denver Center in Longmont, CO. Limit was 6 folks per tour. I went this morning. It was an interesting hour of discussion and questions about the Center. Our host has 30 years at ZDV. Then we got to go 'on the floor' and plug in with a controller. I spent about 30 minutes on a low altitude position covering the area from Cheyenne to east of Rapid City. Nice being on the other side of places I'd flown IFR. Low is from the surface to FL26. They have over 300 controllers working at the Center.

If you get a chance don't pass it up.

Eric

 

[denverpilot]

That's really cool.

 

[kimberlyanne546]

OMG you plugged in?

I saw TRACON and tower at Travis Air Force Base but there was a big group of us and we just got a tour with Q & A. What you did sounds way more awesome.

 

[GCA319]

Nice. I toured ZAB back in October.

 

[Matthew]

I did ZKC this winter - we did their training simulator and I got to cause a "deal", then went downstairs and talked with the NWS guy on duty, then went on the floor and plugged in. Then I talked for a while with my next-door neighbor (he's a center controller). Then I had cookies.

Nothing much was happening in my sector (about 9pm on a weekday) - a student in a 150 was doing a night xc with her CFI and asking for flight following "uhh - center - uhh Cessna xxx with you uhh". The controller sat and waited - sure enough the CFI finally came on. It was actually pretty funny - that plane gets used for instruction so much, and follows the same xc route so often that the controller knew ahead of time what was about to happen - and sure enough, it went right the way he said it would.

A guy working a different sector got to listen to a B2 heading either into or out of Whiteman AFB.

 

[denverpilot]

Cookies? Now you're just showing off.