Senate kills amendment to keep high traffic towers open

Florida Cracker

Florida Cracker

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Florida Cracker
I just got a news clip that the senate killed, without comment, Senator Jerry Moran's (Kansas) amendment to keep certain, high traffic, towers open during sequestration.

For those coming to Sun-Fun, John Lites has arranged to hire retired controllers, who have experience working the Linder tower during Sun-n-Fun, to cover the arrival days, fly in show dates and fly out dates.
 
Florida Cracker said:
I just got a news clip that the senate killed, without comment, Senator Jerry Moran's (Kansas) amendment to keep certain, high traffic, towers open during sequestration.
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High traffic towers weren't subject to closure.
 
roncachamp said:
High traffic towers weren't subject to closure.
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High being a relative term, I am sure some people would say towers you don't consider high traffic to be just that. I'm 6'3". I'm tall to most people, but two of my friends who are 6'8" would never refer to me as tall.
 
Maybe I'll regret this but....

Good.

We all gotta take our haircut. I'm willing to take my haircut. Now, how about the rest of society?

Flame suit - on.
 
docmirror said:
Maybe I'll regret this but....

Good.

We all gotta take our haircut. I'm willing to take my haircut. Now, how about the rest of society?

Flame suit - on.
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I don't think the rest of society is going to be willing to take their haircut
 
roncachamp said:
High traffic towers weren't subject to closure.
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As hard as it is to imagine, try and imagine it anyway.
Some airports experience more traffic than some others.
Those towers might be described as being higher traffic airports, Ina the real world.
 
docmirror said:
Maybe I'll regret this but....

Good.

We all gotta take our haircut. I'm willing to take my haircut. Now, how about the rest of society?

Flame suit - on.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

But this makes me wonder: Does the FAA pay for the Pink Shirt Controllers at AirVenture? Does the EAA pay for the Controllers? Do they work for free?
 
What killed the amendment was the idea that rather than actually saving money the FAA could just shake loose 90mil worth of change somehow stuck in their pockets.
 
Florida Cracker said:
As hard as it is to imagine, try and imagine it anyway.
Some airports experience more traffic than some others.
Those towers might be described as being higher traffic airports, Ina the real world.
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The towers at those higher traffic airports aren't subject to closure.
 
docmirror said:
Maybe I'll regret this but....

Good.

We all gotta take our haircut. I'm willing to take my haircut. Now, how about the rest of society?

Flame suit - on.
Click to expand...

You have 100% agreement from me.

"Nobody else will take their haircut" isn't a reason not to take yours.

...Says the guy with hair halfway down his back.
 
Can't say I care about any of the five towers they are closing in NC.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
You have 100% agreement from me.

"Nobody else will take their haircut" isn't a reason not to take yours.

...Says the guy with hair halfway down his back.
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Or the bald guy.

Not that I'm bald.

Ok, I'm balding, but I'm NOT bald.
 
heeey, JQF is right around the corner from me, I hope they don't close that one!

even if they did, it probably wouldn't lower the prices of PPL training.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
You have 100% agreement from me.

"Nobody else will take their haircut" isn't a reason not to take yours.

...Says the guy with hair halfway down his back.
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Buzz buzz!

Many of the towers are not needed, while the list is somewhat arbitrary we are dealing with a government bureaucracy here, IMO the best(or least mismanaged to be truthful) one of the bunch
 
I fly out of one of the towers losing the night shift (TYS).

I've been out there doing S&Gs at night, and sometimes I'll put 1.0 in the logbook and the tower doesn't talk to a single other soul other than myself.

I think a good review of the need for the towers and shifts is a good thing.
 
docmirror said:
Maybe I'll regret this but....

Good.

We all gotta take our haircut. I'm willing to take my haircut. Now, how about the rest of society?

Flame suit - on.
Click to expand...

Understand where you're coming from. Willing to take mine IF the rest of society takes theirs. Problem is it won't happen.
 
eman1200 said:
heeey, JQF is right around the corner from me, I hope they don't close that one!

even if they did, it probably wouldn't lower the prices of PPL training.
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I got my PPL at Monroe (EQY) in 2005. Actually took my checkride up at Rowan County. I loved flying there, except:

1. Any plane becomes a coal-fired pizza oven in the summer, and
2. The Carolinas (North and South) contain not one straight road.

I'm not sure how you could get lost navigating in most of the Midwest, because you're always flying over a grid. In the Carolinas, unless you see the ocean or the mountains, it's not too difficult for a new student to get turned around. Don't ask me how I know. :redface:
 
JeffDG said:
I think a good review of the need for the towers and shifts is a good thing.
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I agree that a financial need/benefit study would be a good thing. But it appears to me that the only review they are doing is the one that determines what will cause the public to scream the loudest and blame the other guy. They are not reviewing on how to save money. They are making political decisions based on how they think it will play out come election time.
 
dell30rb said:
Can't say I care about any of the five towers they are closing in NC.
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nddons said:
Is Concord (KJQF) one of them? That could be pretty sporting when the race teams leave on Thursday.
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eman1200 said:
heeey, JQF is right around the corner from me, I hope they don't close that one!

even if they did, it probably wouldn't lower the prices of PPL training.
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KJQF is on the chopping block. It'll be interesting to see how the NASCAR & corporate traffic handles CTAF. However I think they'll just move operations to KCLT, which sucks for KJQF because it really is a great airport.


Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 2
 
JOhnH said:
I agree that a financial need/benefit study would be a good thing. But it appears to me that the only review they are doing is the one that determines what will cause the public to scream the loudest and blame the other guy. They are not reviewing on how to save money. They are making political decisions based on how they think it will play out come election time.
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I believe you have a good grasp of the political landscape. It's supposed to hurt politically, so that you can blame someone, but it's not supposed to hurt literally, as in raining metal from the sky.

A tightly calculated pain that the exec can point his finger across the aisle and say; "They did it! With their mandatory cuts, and dangerous reductions to needed infrastructure! It's them!! Burn them,,, burn them!!!! muuuaaaahahahhahahahhahhhaaaaa"

The reality is: 1) The exec and his staff was the first to bring up the idea of a sequester spending limit down the road. 2) The FAA reports to the exec, and he has complete discretion(Reagan fired all ATC in 84). Everyone understands that this action is like a 8YO boy crying and taking his ball home with him -- 'I'll teach you to be mean to me...'
 
roncachamp said:
The towers at those higher traffic airports aren't subject to closure.
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Are you suggesting that the amendment that was killed was simply an exercise in political posturing that would have no other effect than making certain people strut and preen?
 
The ones that NEED the "haircuts" will not be and would not allow it to happen to themselves! Can you say civil unrest if the effort was made.

Remember, this is the country that a Presidential candidate told the country he would put America back to work, and the majority voted for the guy giving free stuff away! NUFF said

Yeah, the squeaky wheel will continued to get oiled
 
Zhunter said:
Remember, this is the country that a Presidential candidate told the country he would put America back to work, and the majority voted for the guy giving free stuff away! NUFF said
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:yeahthat:
May I use that?
 
I just got an email the Fulton County, my home drome is going to stay open. It's a contract tower, the guys and gal do a great job, but I am sure it's the proximity to ATL that is the reason they were spared. :wink2: It's only a 9 miles from FTY to ATL.
 
flav8r said:
I think the NASCAR folks will be just fine as long as the traffic pattern is all left hand turns....:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
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That is just plane funny, pun intended :)

I played in a golf Pro-Am with a NASCAR winning driver 2 years ago and made a joke like that. His response was really interesting, apparently the cars are set up for left hand turns, so on the straightaways they have to steer right to maintain a straight path, SO when you see them hugging the wall, just remember they are actually steering into it going 200 mph! Much like flying, it's harder than it looks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
flav8r said:
I think the NASCAR folks will be just fine as long as the traffic pattern is all left hand turns....:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
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Classic!

ISM, Kissimmee is staying open, even though they were notified that it was on the list.
I guess the three congresskritters that go in and out of there might have had some impact.
Lakeland will be open until, sun-n-fun is finished, then shut down.
Lees burg is being shut down and all three aircraft using it will have to remember how to call their positions. I never got why federal money built and staffs a tower op, there.
 
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Zhunter said:
That is just plane funny, pun intended :)

I played in a golf Pro-Am with a NASCAR winning driver 2 years ago and made a joke like that. His response was really interesting, apparently the cars are set up for left hand turns, so on the straightaways they have to steer right to maintain a straight path, SO when you see them hugging the wall, just remember they are actually steering into it going 200 mph! Much like flying, it's harder than it looks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Absolutely right, no pun intended. Any car set up to run on ovals is set up to turn left pretty much on its own. It's pretty subtle, but you do have to keep a little right hand pressure when headed down the straight.
 
geneseib said:
Understand where you're coming from. Willing to take mine IF the rest of society takes theirs. Problem is it won't happen.
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The problem is that attitude doesn't work. You will not get all of society standing up and saying "Fine, I'll tighten my belt." So, someone needs to start. We're arguably one of the more mature groups (although some days I wonder), so just like in the school yard or the office, that means that we need to be the ones to stand up and start accepting ours.

And really, this is a decent place to start cutting the budget.
 
The NASCAR teams will not be leaving JQF...they have tons of hangars there and have offices and shops within blocks...

Business as usual...
 
DTN got closed. Only one in the state...
We are the largest GA airport in Louisiana. We only average 160-170 movements a day...
We are 5 miles from SHV.
We are 4.1 miles from the Barksdale AFB runway (BUFF's and stuff).
Overhanging class C @ 1500'.
Two flight schools, Largest heli repair facility in the SE and a daily mix of gliders, Army helos, fixed wing GA and lots of Corporate birds.

Chris
 
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Zhunter said:
snip...

Remember, this is the country that a Presidential candidate told the country he would put America back to work,
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He may have said that. But, I never heard anything about paying them...
 
Tarheel Pilot said:
KJQF is on the chopping block. It'll be interesting to see how the NASCAR & corporate traffic handles CTAF. However I think they'll just move operations to KCLT, which sucks for KJQF because it really is a great airport.


Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 2
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They could hire their own controllers like they're talking about at S-n-F.
 
Henning said:
They could hire their own controllers like they're talking about at S-n-F.
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Yea, if I know the mayor of Concord (and I do, he was my old Elementary School Principal), he's going to see what his options are.
 
Hiperbiper said:
DTN got closed. Only one in the state...
We are the largest GA airport in Louisiana. We only average 160-170 movements a day...
We are 5 miles from SHV.
We are 4.1 miles from the Barksdale AFB runway (BUFF's and stuff).
Overhanging class C @ 1500'.
Two flight schools, Largest heli repair facility in the SE and a daily mix of gliders, Army helos, fixed wing GA and lots of Corporate birds.

Chris
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No problem. Since most light airplanes fly the same traffic pattern as a BUFF, there should be no conflict. :mad2: :wink2:
 
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