Temporary tower

AuntPeggy

AuntPeggy

Final Approach
PoA Supporter
Joined
May 23, 2006
Messages
8,480
Location
Oklahoma
Display Name
Display name:
Namaste
A meetup group I belong to recently combined destination with a couple of other pilot groups for an impromptu fly in for lunch. Upshot was that 100 aircraft descended on a sleepy untowered strip within a couple of hours of each other. One guy on the ground got on the CTAF and kept people advised and everyone arrived and left safely. Assuming the perpetrators of this fly in had been aware that there would be so many participants, is there some way to get a temporary controller?
 
Probably, but I would expect adverse effects to such a solution.
I prefer the techniques used by many fly-ins where the principals design and publish pattern techniques and chart to improve safety.
Check out the Gaston's arrival etc.
 
Last edited:
We've done a temporary tower and there were no adverse consequences. The FAA folks were happy to be involved in a community event/charity fund raiser. But it is necessary to get in contact with them way early for scheduling.
 
Graueradler said:
We've done a temporary tower and there were no adverse consequences. The FAA folks were happy to be involved in a community event/charity fund raiser. But it is necessary to get in contact with them way early for scheduling.
Click to expand...

The last time we tried to get a temporary control tower for our pancake breakfast in Iowa City, I was told they tried to impose a fee on the event organizers.

That was the end of that, after many years.
 
Graueradler said:
We've done a temporary tower and there were no adverse consequences. The FAA folks were happy to be involved in a community event/charity fund raiser. But it is necessary to get in contact with them way early for scheduling.
Click to expand...
Good to know it can be done. Who do you contact? I assume the FSDO. How much time is "way early"?
Jay Honeck said:
The last time we tried to get a temporary control tower for our pancake breakfast in Iowa City, I was told they tried to impose a fee on the event organizers.

That was the end of that, after many years.
Click to expand...
That would probably break it for us, too. I wonder if they wanted a fee because it was a for-profit event? Or was it?
 
Although not recommended, we have a local "civilian" that was a contollers in the military. At some flyins we recruit him to grab a radio and keep us from swapping paint. He is pretty cheap too!
 
AuntPeggy said:
Good to know it can be done. Who do you contact? I assume the FSDO. How much time is "way early"?

We contacted the ATC organization in Little Rock. It has been quite awhile back so I don't remember a lot of detail. We had a $10 plane ride charity fund raiser/ airport open house event.

There was no fee. IIRC, they had some training requirement for being able to implement a temporary tower so it fit into a need that they had.

We've used the non-FAA "communications facilitator" approach also but that person can't provide any authoritative direction (i.e. "Cleared to Land" , etc).
Click to expand...
 
The AAA/APM fly-in hosts nearly 400 aircraft, from Pietenpols to Warbirds. Many (maybe most) of them are NORDO. There is tower and no published CTAF. Instructions suggest turning off your radio if you have one and keeping your head out of the cockpit and watch for the flagman on final.
 
RickH said:
The AAA/APM fly-in hosts nearly 400 aircraft, from Pietenpols to Warbirds. Many (maybe most) of them are NORDO. There is tower and no published CTAF. Instructions suggest turning off your radio if you have one and keeping your head out of the cockpit and watch for the flagman on final.
Click to expand...

There's a TOWER at Antique Airfield? Funny, I've never noticed one. Or did you mean there is "no tower"? :D (And, no, all those guys sitting in lawn chairs sipping beer does NOT constitute a "tower"...) :rofl:

Blakesburg (AAA/APM fly-In) works because EVERYONE is expected to be NORDO. In that environment, everyone has their head on a hyper-swivel. NORDO only becomes a problem when pilots gets complacent and expects everyone else to announce their position. Since that constitutes probably 98% of all traffic nowadays, NORDO tends to take people by surprise.
 
At Gaston's, there is the "suggested procedure" that is published, a good idea since the strip is a one-way strip.

In addition, there is one particular participant who is exceptionally observant, has a great head for where the traffic is and keeping it sorted, and is graciously willing to use his skills and radio to assist in keeping paint on the proper aircraft.
 
This is probably another item that varies greatly from FSDO to FSDO. I've found the LIT FSDO to be quite cooperative on numerous fronts. Other FSDOs, not so much.

I guess consistency is too much to ask.
 
AuntPeggy said:
Good to know it can be done. Who do you contact? I assume the FSDO. How much time is "way early"?

That would probably break it for us, too. I wonder if they wanted a fee because it was a for-profit event? Or was it?
Click to expand...

I would contact the ADO (Airport District Office).
 
gismo said:
So what's an "ADO" (Airport District Office) do? Are they co-located with FSDOs?
Click to expand...

ADO's are seperate from FSDO's. They handle airports and airport certification issues as well as airport improvement projects. Example is an airport adding an approach or extending a runway, or establishing a control tower.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top