Austin Executive to get control tower

JimNtexas

JimNtexas

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2,259
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Austin, Texas
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Display name:
Jim - In Texas!
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So is this a private tower since the airport authority is telling FAA about the tower?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
none of this necessary if they'd kept Mueller open; really enjoyed that airport
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It's not necessary now! There is not enough traffic to justify a tower. This is simply a rich guy wanting to impress the rest of his rich friends in my humble opinion. I'm based in Taylor, exactly 10 miles to the NNE and I always change to that frequency when flying South. 9 out of 10 times there is no traffic.
 
Clark1961 said:
So is this a private tower since the airport authority is telling FAA about the tower?
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It looks like it. Some company called Advanced ATC Inc is advertising for Controllers. I don't think they are one of the ones who Contract with the FAA to run FCT's, Federal Contract Towers. So it's probably going to be a NFCT, Non Federal Control Tower. Travis County Field LLC would be the Airport Authority mentioned in the Letter. They'll have to have Weather Guessers there to get the FAA to make a Class D. My guess is the Controllers will do it but that possibly could be contracted for separately.
 
Lowflynjack said:
It's not necessary now! There is not enough traffic to justify a tower. This is simply a rich guy wanting to impress the rest of his rich friends in my humble opinion. I'm based in Taylor, exactly 10 miles to the NNE and I always change to that frequency when flying South. 9 out of 10 times there is no traffic.
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Yeah. It wouldn't be the first time though that the motivation to put a Tower in at a slow airport was to reduce delays for IFR traffic. With a Tower there's none of that waiting for cancellations, void times, release times and who do I call to get my clearance here stuff
 
I think Austin Executive is owned by the same guys as Houston Executive who also recently got a tower and class D. I have no idea why, though, as every time I flew in there it was almost deserted.
 
luvflyin said:
It looks like it. Some company called Advanced ATC Inc is advertising for Controllers. I don't think they are one of the ones who Contract with the FAA to run FCT's, Federal Contract Towers. So it's probably going to be a NFCT, Non Federal Control Tower. Travis County Field LLC would be the Airport Authority mentioned in the Letter. They'll have to have Weather Guessers there to get the FAA to make a Class D. My guess is the Controllers will do it but that possibly could be contracted for separately.
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You missed it entirely. The readers of POA have been assured that there are no private towers in the US.
 
Clark1961 said:
You missed it entirely. The readers of POA have been assured that there are no private towers in the US.
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The readers of POA were unable to identify a private control tower in the US but that does not mean that none exist.
 
roncachamp said:
The readers of POA were unable to identify a private control tower in the US but that does not mean that none exist.
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The readers of POA identified a private tower but one particular reader went into denial and remains there.
Now we have another private tower identified. I suspect the one particular reader will remain in denial and pointlessly continue to attack windmills.
 
In 2007 I flew into Greenville Texas KVGT with an instructor at 12 noon. Called the tower and no one answered. My instructor said it was a private tower and they close for lunch!!!!! :)
 
No one really knows the amount of traffic at untowered airports. There is no technology to automatically count it, and airport managers have incentive to exaggerate any numbers they do have.

I drive by Executive frequently and it never seems busy.
 
Datadriver said:
No one really knows the amount of traffic at untowered airports. There is no technology to automatically count it, and airport managers have incentive to exaggerate any numbers they do have.

I drive by Executive frequently and it never seems busy.
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I would say they have significantly less traffic than Taylor. They banned touch-n-goes, so no training activity goes on there. I would say most of the schools from Georgetown come to Taylor to practice at a non-controlled airport that has a smaller runway. It gets hectic sometimes, but we don't want a tower! Our AvGas is $3.45, theirs is $5.40, so pretty sure nobody is going there just for fuel. Our most expensive t-hangars are slightly over $300, a similar hangar at Austin Exec is over $600. I know a lot of people like to go into a GA airport and feel like they're being pampered, but at their rates I'll take dumpy old Taylor any day!
 
Gillette Wyoming has a tower and Airnav shows 69 operations a day. Not sure how that happened.
 
roncachamp said:
No reader of POA identified a private control tower.
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Lol. You didn't even ask relevant questions about the private tower which has been identified. You just run around denying its existence while making ludicrous proclamations. You've dug a hole so deep you can't even begin to get out of it now.
 
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that some corporate aircraft cannot operate out of non-towered airports due to either corporate policies or maybe insurance requirements. This may be a factor in the decision to add a tower.

I will say that I've been to Austin Executive several times since they opened, and they have always treated me well, even though I fly a single engine. They usually let me park under the cover, they have awesome crew cars, and a very nice facility. I was just there this past weekend visiting my brother. It's outside of the Class C, so it's easy in and easy out. And it's right on the toll road, so you can hop on that and go 80mph and get to town quickly.
 
ColoPilot said:
Gillette Wyoming has a tower and Airnav shows 69 operations a day. Not sure how that happened.
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Somebody wanted a Tower and was willing to spend the money to do it. Maybe it was to attract scheduled airline service. Maybe some carrier was reluctant to serve it unless there was a Tower. I dunno, just a guess
 
luvflyin said:
Didn't Gwinn, 06FA come up a while back?
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Not on POA, apparently. A brief examination does show 06FA to be a private airport with a control tower not operated by the FAA directly and not a Federal Contract Tower. So there is at least one private control tower in the US.
 
Clark1961 said:
Lol. You didn't even ask relevant questions about the private tower which has been identified. You just run around denying its existence while making ludicrous proclamations. You've dug a hole so deep you can't even begin to get out of it now.
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I pointed out that all information available on PADG indicated there was no control tower there.
 
luvflyin said:
Somebody wanted a Tower and was willing to spend the money to do it. Maybe it was to attract scheduled airline service. Maybe some carrier was reluctant to serve it unless there was a Tower. I dunno, just a guess
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KGCC has scheduled airline service.
 
pburger said:
I will say that I've been to Austin Executive several times since they opened, and they have always treated me well, even though I fly a single engine. They usually let me park under the cover, they have awesome crew cars, and a very nice facility. I was just there this past weekend visiting my brother. It's outside of the Class C, so it's easy in and easy out. And it's right on the toll road, so you can hop on that and go 80mph and get to town quickly.
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I've heard a lot of people like you who love the airport. I don't have a need to use it, so I don't. I like airports where I get in with as little fuss as possible and if nobody is there, the fuel pumps work, and I can get a courtesy car, I'm pretty happy. It is a nice building and the people there seem nice, but I feel like I'm an outsider and I have to ask someone to let me out on the ramp. We're just not the crowd they're designed to service. I think the tollerate us.
 
roncachamp said:
I pointed out that all information available on PADG indicated there was no control tower there.
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Lol. You proclaim an erroneous conclusion and try to state it as fact. The guy who has flown there has said there is a tower. You can rant all you want but you can't change anything with the continued denials.
 
nah, they just charge you 170 dollars and 2 hours labor to put air in one 6x6 de facto bicycle tire, then they play Pontius Pilatus when you dispute the trespass. That's how you know people are merely trying to "tolerate" you. I can count with my fingers, so I can take a hint. Sayonara sucker. Between that and Operation Raining Toolbox, I've lost all couth when it comes to my recreational flying. I didn't get to this hobby for the elitist angle anyways, so more than glad to upset that pretentious orthodoxy with my half painted spam can :D.
 
Clark1961 said:
Lol. You proclaim an erroneous conclusion and try to state it as fact. The guy who has flown there has said there is a tower. You can rant all you want but you can't change anything with the continued denials.
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It is a fact that all information available on PADG indicates there is no control tower there. It's also a fact that the description of the operations at PADG provided by the guy who has flown there and said there is a tower are not consistent with operations at fields with control towers.
 
roncachamp said:
It is a fact that all information available on PADG indicates there is no control tower there. It's also a fact that the description of the operations at PADG provided by the guy who has flown there and said there is a tower are not consistent with operations at fields with control towers.
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Lol. Repeating your opinion will never make it true.
 
Lowflynjack said:
It's not necessary now! There is not enough traffic to justify a tower. This is simply a rich guy wanting to impress the rest of his rich friends in my humble opinion. I'm based in Taylor, exactly 10 miles to the NNE and I always change to that frequency when flying South. 9 out of 10 times there is no traffic.
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I fly there at least once a month, as my child goes to college there. There has been traffic every time I am landing on a Friday between 1pm and 4pm, but that "traffic" has been exactly ONE King Air or Cirrus on a 5 mile straight in final just as I'm touching down. In comparison, Llano and Horse Shoe Bay are WAY more active as I'm flying by.

Lowflynjack said:
I've heard a lot of people like you who love the airport. I don't have a need to use it, so I don't. I like airports where I get in with as little fuss as possible and if nobody is there, the fuel pumps work, and I can get a courtesy car, I'm pretty happy. It is a nice building and the people there seem nice, but I feel like I'm an outsider and I have to ask someone to let me out on the ramp. We're just not the crowd they're designed to service. I think the tollerate us.
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I get charged $10 to park over night at Austin Exec. Their self serve has been broken, but when I needed fuel last trip (Llano blocked by a storm and I wanted extra fuel on board), they charged the self serve rate. I also call an hour before and the plane is placed back under the canopy where I dropped it off, with the windshield cleaned as requested. They have also helped with a low inflated tire at no charge. The pilots lounge is excellent and massage chairs are a nice touch. With a tower, I'm guessing the parking fee will increase.
 
danhagan said:
I also call an hour before and the plane is placed back under the canopy where I dropped it off, with the windshield cleaned as requested. They have also helped with a low inflated tire at no charge. The pilots lounge is excellent and massage chairs are a nice touch.
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LMAO. I seriously don't want any of these perks! I guess I'm just a country boy who likes doing things myself.
 
I called Advanced ATC to see what they are about. Austin exec will be their fourth Tower. They have Houston exec TME, Denton DTO and Valdosta VLD. They are not Federal Contract Towers. DTO and VLD are County airports. TME and EDC are private airports but both are open to the public. Whether or not they accept public money from grants I don't know. Odds are they do. If some of that money is used to fund the Tower than can you call them private Towers? If some of it is from Federal grants, can you call them Non Federal Towers. I dunno.
 
Small nitty correction, DTO is a city owned/operated airport.

But you're correct that the tower gang is employed by a "contractor"
 
luvflyin said:
I called Advanced ATC to see what they are about. Austin exec will be their fourth Tower. They have Houston exec TME, Denton DTO and Valdosta VLD. They are not Federal Contract Towers. DTO and VLD are County airports. TME and EDC are private airports but both are open to the public. Whether or not they accept public money from grants I don't know. Odds are they do. If some of that money is used to fund the Tower than can you call them private Towers? If some of it is from Federal grants, can you call them Non Federal Towers. I dunno.
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KTME, KDTO, and KVLD are shown as Federal Contract Towers here.
 
Datadriver said:
I drive by Executive frequently and it never seems busy.
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I was there last July. It was very slow and hardly seems it would justify a Tower. Can one could ask the FAA to hold off on the class D even if they have a tower?
 
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