Groundpounder
En-Route
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2013
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- 2,951
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- New Hampshire
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Emerson Bigguns
Haven't seen much from Radar Contact lately, nor anything posted on his youtube page. Anyone know what is going on?
Where has Radar Contact gone
- Thread starter Groundpounder
- Start date
PaulS
Touchdown! Greaser!
Bigger and better things apparently.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2019
- Messages
- 1,269
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Initial Fix
He took a new job at the FAA. Sold his plane to focus on the new opportunities, but was going to keep flying when he could. It was in one of his videos.
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2013
- Messages
- 19,562
- Location
- Oakland, CA
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Bro do you even lift
negative radar contact
I sent him a Go Dawgs during the football championship and got a reply. Sometimes I'll ask him if he's working when I'm flying through his airspace. Sometimes he will reply. He was alive in Feb when I asked.
schmookeeg
En-Route
Pretty on-brand that owning an airplane would somehow impede someone's work at the FAA 
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
He bought a new house near an airport that is noisy and has joined the neighborhood committee to shut the airport down. He ain’t gonna be showing up here. [insert emoji of your choice]
I hope that a
would be the appropriate one!
Did he work for the Faa?
EdFred
Taxi to Parking
Still does. Controller at Chicago Approach.
Yeah, but does that mean he works for the Faa?
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2010
- Messages
- 5,500
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Display name:
GeorgeC
Some positions require that you list social media, and sometimes the easiest number to count to is zero.
sourdough44
En-Route
So if he’s at ORD approach, will he clear us through the B??
He told us at one of our midwest meetups last winter that they were severely short staffed and having to work 6 days a week with very limited time off. They also bought a new house on some acreage iirc and had a lot of work to do getting the new place set up. With all that there just wasn't any time for the airplane, which also meant no content to feed yt. I think he was kind of tired of the yt thing anyway. He has a friend at ARR with a 340 that he can fly; I was kind of hoping he'd keep the videos up with that, but I can understand the time issue. I hope that with covid winding down and FAA hiring and training again, things will get less crazy for them and we'll see him dragging trees out of the woods at Rough River again.
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2008
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- 16,021
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- DXO124009
- Display Name
Display name:
Light and Sporty Guy
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.
The answer is blowing in the wind.
The answer is blowing in the wind.
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
If you subscribed, maybe
Kritchlow
Final Approach
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2014
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- 7,884
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Kritchlow
Yes, controllers are FAA employees.
PaulS
Touchdown! Greaser!
Most employees, I do believe there are contract towers too.
Kritchlow
Final Approach
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- Dec 2, 2014
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- 7,884
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Kritchlow
There were some years ago. Not sure how many there are now. That said, I’m thinking more TRACON and ARTCC.
The FAA has a map of contract towers (from four years ago):
https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/FCT_Map.pdf
More information:
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...ts/mission_support/faa_contract_tower_program
Kritchlow
Final Approach
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- Dec 2, 2014
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- 7,884
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Kritchlow
Larry in TN
En-Route
I haven't heard Jamie on frequency in many many months. I used to hear her regularly.
There are a lot more than I knew about, too. I don't know who trains them.
kaiser
Pattern Altitude
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2019
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- 2,441
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- Chicagoland
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The pilot formerly known as Cool Beard Guy
Honestly, I think people sound too different on frequency to figure out who’s who. I talk to C90 loads and I couldn’t tell you if I ever talked to either of them.
charheep
Cleared for Takeoff
Seanaldinho
Pattern Altitude
Contract towers require their controllers to have a Control Tower Operator (CTO) certificate and 12 months of experience.
You can get a CTO through the FAA, military, or a few puppy mills for 50k. FAA folks typically stay with the FAA until retirement and then might take a contract tower position to keep an income source or so they don’t get bored. Military folks will do it either because of age or because they are waiting to get picked up by the FAA on a hiring bid. The puppy mills run students through an approved training program with a combination of theory, simulation, and live traffic at a privately controlled tower.
This is the fuzzy bit as there are private control towers that are not under the federal contract tower (FCT) umbrella. Essentially an airport with enough money can pay someone to come in and provide ATC - this only happens at pretty slow airports because otherwise they would utilize FCT funding. Then the puppy mill will hire their graduates and get them the 12 months of experience they need to go work FCT or get picked up by the FAA on an experienced bid
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
I’ve heard of a puppy mill as you call it in I think Valdosta, GA, don’t remember the name. What are the other ones?
Seanaldinho
Pattern Altitude
That’s Advanced ATC
Community College of Beaver County Pennsylvania and SUNY Albany also have programs
it’s a very small market to say the least
Larry in TN
En-Route
Jamie is pretty easy to pick out. I never identified Kevin's voice.
Kritchlow
Final Approach
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- Dec 2, 2014
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Kritchlow
I could pick out Jamie simply because I’ve heard her talk on Kevin’s radio. I doubt I could pick out Kevin, however.
Kritchlow
Final Approach
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- Dec 2, 2014
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Kritchlow
Nice explanation. Thank you.
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2012
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- 15,597
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Velocity173
Not sure if MGA’s program awards a CTO but they’ve got a tower there at EZM that trains students. Actually met Ms. Henry years ago at EZM stopping in for gas on the way to Benning. She was running a tower sim lab upstairs. Nice lady, guess she passed a couple years ago.
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luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
etc
Larry in TN
En-Route
Actually, I've wondered if Kevin has (had?) a supervisory position which keeps him off freq most of the time.
Seanaldinho
Pattern Altitude
I think they do - they just slipped my mind. There are a few others out there, but when you put out a dozen or less students a year its hard to keep up. Typically also a new entrant every year that folds after 12-18 months.