Final Tower Closure Information Released by FAA

What about the children? Hot metal will rain from the skies...Nooooooooo
 
Notice how the federal employees are protected but the private contractors (who probably provide the most bang for buck) get shutdown?

Govt at its best.
 
All 3 of the class Ds that I normally use are on the list. Any news of when?
 
I hate living within Chinese curses....
 
KJQF remains on the chopping block.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 2
 
Looks like San Carlos got spared, which I think makes sense, given how close it is to SFO. The field I did my training at (New Haven) is still getting the axe, though. I don't think the tower is strictly necessary, but I did like the controllers there.
 
My tower is gone...We'll deal with it, but safety will definately go down with the traffic diversity and runway configuration.
 
That appears to be only the contract tower list, not the full closure list.

I'm amazed KFTG was spared.
 
TedR3 said:
Strangely, my field - Northeast Philly, KPNE - was on the original list of fields to be closed, and is not on any of the open/closed lists released today :dunno:
Click to expand...

Same with KSQL - my guess is "Look how close we are to a class B airport" worked pretty well as a 'national interest' argument.
 
There were a few airports in the Bay Area that were on the original list. Looks like they're ok........for now. :)
 
I wonder when this will show up on sectionals?

My guess is that this will go on a few months, then Congress will get right back to their wasteful spending once they've gotten in a good jab on the taxpayers.
 
Looks like Wal-Mart and Tyson put up enough of a fight to keep Springdale and Rogers, AR open. However we are losing Fayetteville and Texarkana. American said they will keep flying into Texarkana with or without a tower.

I'm wondering what the outcome of KFSM is..... It was on the original axe list but now it doesn't show up on the updated open or closed list. :dunno: It's our TRACON for all of Northwest Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.

Our flight school will be affected because almost 3/4 of our 141 lesson airports we go to for ATC are on the closure list.
 
My home airport FTY was spared and it's a contract tower, I think the proximity to ATL is what kept them open. :D
 
denverpilot said:
That appears to be only the contract tower list, not the full closure list.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Until an airport that was on the proposed closure list shows up on a 'will stay open' list, we shouldn't assume that it's staying open.
 
Well it appears that traffic load has nothing to do with the choice of airport towers to close here in North Florida. :dunno:

KSGJ - St Augustine to close with 362 flight ops
KVQQ - Cecil Field to remain open with 224 flight ops.

And with Sun 'n Fun just around the corner they have decided to close the tower at KLAL.
But it is my understanding that they will be bringing in retired ATC personnel for the airshow event.
 
flav8r said:
And with Sun 'n Fun just around the corner they have decided to close the tower at KLAL.
But it is my understanding that they will be bringing in retired ATC personnel for the airshow event.
Click to expand...

Towers start to close on the 7th, but i read the closings are spread over 4 weeks, so maybe they'll wait on that one until after the event :dunno:
 
LDJones said:
Notice how the federal employees are protected but the private contractors (who probably provide the most bang for buck) get shutdown?

Govt at its best.
Click to expand...

Cite a source on that one or even I, a non-fan of government, will cry foul on it.

I get pretty much the same services from either type of tower in the airplane, so you'd need to show there's a significant price difference between the two.

I haven't seen any data that suggests towers are cheaper when contracted out, really. Not saying it isn't out there, but if you've seen it, point it out.
 
denverpilot said:
That appears to be only the contract tower list, not the full closure list.

I'm amazed KFTG was spared.
Click to expand...

I don't think it had anything to do with FTG efforts. There's a fair amount of military that uses it for practice jumps, the UAV businesses based there, and 5 nm from DIA.
 
Last edited:
ARFlyer said:
Looks like Wal-Mart and Tyson put up enough of a fight to keep Springdale and Rogers, AR open. However we are losing Fayetteville and Texarkana. American said they will keep flying into Texarkana with or without a tower.
Click to expand...
I was just at KFYV for the first time... a few hours ago. It was pretty dead, but the weather wasn't great either.
 
Big Yawn, Sorry the stories of how the gov't is trying to screw us(which I believe they are) are becoming boring. So they closing some of the towers, I think for the vast majority of us it is not going to change our ability to fly safely, nor should it. Sorry again.
 
It's a bummer that these towers are closing. Practically every class delta that I frequent or plan on frequenting are getting chopped. It especially seems like CT was hit hard. I'll still fly to these airports but I do hope these towers open up again.

Maybe this question has already been answered in the multiple threads about this( sorry if it has) but what happens to the controllers based in these towers? I assume they loose their jobs but can anyone confirm that?
 
jspilot said:
It's a bummer that these towers are closing. Practically every class delta that I frequent or plan on frequenting are getting the ax. It especially seems like CT was hit hard. I'll still fly to these airports but I do hope these towers open up again.

Maybe this question has already been answered in the multiple threads about this( sorry if it has) but what happens to the controllers based in these towers? I assume they loose their jobs but can anyone confirm that?
Click to expand...

The towers are contract operations and they will deal with their employees however they choose.
Don't be surprised that as soon as this faux crisis is concluded, the tower employees will be paid in full.
 
Last edited:
denverpilot said:
Cite a source on that one or even I, a non-fan of government, will cry foul on it.

I get pretty much the same services from either type of tower in the airplane, so you'd need to show there's a significant price difference between the two.

I haven't seen any data that suggests towers are cheaper when contracted out, really. Not saying it isn't out there, but if you've seen it, point it out.
Click to expand...

FAA tower $2,025,104, contract tower $536,911.

A DOT study by the IGs office?

http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/Contract Tower Hearing Statement^7-18-12.pdf

And the wrapper story:

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...02/dot-report-shows-value-faa-contract-towers
 
denverpilot said:
Cite a source on that one or even I, a non-fan of government, will cry foul on it.

I get pretty much the same services from either type of tower in the airplane, so you'd need to show there's a significant price difference between the two.

I haven't seen any data that suggests towers are cheaper when contracted out, really. Not saying it isn't out there, but if you've seen it, point it out.
Click to expand...
Here's a couple.

http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/FAA Federal Contract Tower Program Report^11-5-12.pdf

http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/pdfdocs/av2003057.pdf
 
I'll be sad to see Detroit City Tower close. I soloed there. The controllers were always very friendly. But there's no question that the airport isn't busy enough now to justify a tower. I'm not sure why Jackson was spared though.

ObMedia whinge: one local radio announcer said that with towers closed, planes would need "to use their own navigation equipment to land". :rolleyes::frown2::sigh:
 
Hmmm... KILG was on the "to be closed" list, now it is not on any list. Any coincidence to the fact Joe Biden flies into there regularly? I thought one of the major factors to decide closure was commercial ops. Are there any there?
 
Amazing! From the original list of 6 towers in OK, the two least used ones will remain, while the ONLY one from the original list I would think ought to stay in service is closing, which serves as the reliever for the major commercial airport, which houses over 50 jets, over 300 aircraft, and 200+ operations per day. Yet they will keep Lawton-Ft. Sill which houses 46 aircraft, zero jets, and averages less than 100 operations per day.

I don't understand the logic. Oh, yeah, it's the gubment, duh.
 
Last edited:
Marauder said:
Hmmm... KILG was on the "to be closed" list, now it is not on any list. Any coincidence to the fact Joe Biden flies into there regularly? I thought one of the major factors to decide closure was commercial ops. Are there any there?
Click to expand...
Ditto KMKG. I'm not aware of any politician or bigwig that flies in there regularly. Apparently there are some targeted towers that are being kept (at least for now) that aren't either contract or cost sharing.
 
ainokea said:
There were a few airports in the Bay Area that were on the original list. Looks like they're ok........for now. :)
Click to expand...

That is what we call the "Pelosi Effect". Her and BHO crafted the sequestration plan and when the chopping starts they are suddenly immune ...:mad2:;)..... IMHO..
 
N801BH said:
That is what we call the "Pelosi Effect". Her and BHO crafted the sequestration plan and when the chopping starts they are suddenly immune ...:mad2:;)..... IMHO..
Click to expand...
No airports in her district, not even KSFO.
 
Perfect won't have yo worry about busting class d north of the gliderport
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top