The airport director at Front Range Airport sent the attached letter to David Grizzle, the COO of the FAA regarding the closure (April 1) of the FTG Tower. Since this letter was distributed widely, to airport tenants, to visitors to the airport, in fact to anyone that signed up for email notices, and has been re-distributed by any number of individuals and organizations who received it, I have no qualms posting it here. At the bottom of the letter is the canned response from the FAA.
Personally, I think whoever wrote this letter, and whoever proof-read the letter, should be required to attend Remedial English Composition as well as an Introductory Course in Logic.
1) DIA is high-value target and FTG is 5 nm away. So what?
2) Buckley AFB is 10 nm away. So what? BAFB has the the F-16s.
3) Aircraft launched from FTG can reach either in less than 5 minutes. Frankly, this is a good reason not just to shut down the tower but to close the airport. This isn't a security benefit, it's a security hazard.
4) FTG ATCS doesn't track anything except with binoculars. All radar comes from the DIA tower by microwave link. In fact FTG tower doesn't even see aircraft taking off from FTG (except by eyeball) until the aircraft is at least 500 AGL when DIA radar can see it.
5) FTG is a critical diversionary airport to DIA? Get real. Yes, FTG can handle a B737 (and has) as well as some of the heavy USAF haulers, but that's about it. There's no infrastructure to handle any quantity of passengers from a commercial flight.
6) Blended airspace? Whazzat? FTG, BJC and APA are all inside the 30 nm Mode C veil.
7) The Spaceport. Now we come to the real reason...
But that's only my opinion, one that really isn't worth much and usually ignored.
Personally, I think whoever wrote this letter, and whoever proof-read the letter, should be required to attend Remedial English Composition as well as an Introductory Course in Logic.
1) DIA is high-value target and FTG is 5 nm away. So what?
2) Buckley AFB is 10 nm away. So what? BAFB has the the F-16s.
3) Aircraft launched from FTG can reach either in less than 5 minutes. Frankly, this is a good reason not just to shut down the tower but to close the airport. This isn't a security benefit, it's a security hazard.
4) FTG ATCS doesn't track anything except with binoculars. All radar comes from the DIA tower by microwave link. In fact FTG tower doesn't even see aircraft taking off from FTG (except by eyeball) until the aircraft is at least 500 AGL when DIA radar can see it.
5) FTG is a critical diversionary airport to DIA? Get real. Yes, FTG can handle a B737 (and has) as well as some of the heavy USAF haulers, but that's about it. There's no infrastructure to handle any quantity of passengers from a commercial flight.
6) Blended airspace? Whazzat? FTG, BJC and APA are all inside the 30 nm Mode C veil.
7) The Spaceport. Now we come to the real reason...
But that's only my opinion, one that really isn't worth much and usually ignored.
