Kudos for Fresno controllers

[MAKG1]

I just came back from a CAP mission aircrew school at Fresno Yosemite (KFAT). We had 18 airplanes on the ramp, and as many as 12 launching at a time.

The local controllers at all levels -- ground/CD (combined), tower and approach -- handled the chaos very well, and kept it going smoothly even among the airliner, Air National Guard, and CalFire traffic. We did not make it easy for them with that many airplanes.

They cheerfully accommodated our many requests for intersection takeoffs, even though the B8 run-up area required two taxi clearances (it's not at the hold line), and very quickly renamed the empty ramp we'd borrowed from Signature as the "CAP ramp" (that made it much easier for everyone). They were sequencing us 15 miles out when we arrived yesterday for lunch, with several airliners on approach.

Saturday, a nearby brush fire popped up in the Foothills (near Bass Lake) during morning exercise, and we reported it. CalFire was in the air before we got back. That added a lot of tanker traffic.

Most of us asked for flight following for challenging flight tracks, often grid searches at low altitude in the Class C outer ring. They helped where they could; some of them were too close to airports (I got dropped because I was close to KVIS Class E -- I was announcing on CTAF anyway).

And the controllers even wished us all happy landings as we departed for home yesterday.

These guys are amazing. That had to be total chaos.

 

[Pilawt]

And the controllers even wished us all happy landings as we departed for home yesterday.

At Fresno the usual send-off is "Happy Trails!" Always good talking to the Fresno folks.

 

[yah00]

I would love to fly for CAP when I hit the hour mark...

As far as the Fresno controller goes, they are pretty cool. Another one you get alot is "Seee ya!"

I did the majority of my PPL training out of KFAT, including my first solo.

 

[Htaylor]

At Fresno the usual send-off is "Happy Trails!" Always good talking to the Fresno folks.

In my experience, it's a controller at night that gives you that send off. Never heard it during the day. But Fresno approach controllers are always great to work with.

 

[yah00]

In my experience, it's a controller at night that gives you that send off. Never heard it during the day. But Fresno approach controllers are always great to work with.

Yeah I generally hear it in the evening as well. The team at KFAT were pretty accommodating during my PPL training.

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