Who's visited a control tower?

steamee

steamee

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Steamee
One thing I kept putting on my list of TODOs during training was to go up and visit the ATC folks in our control tower. Unfortunately, I just keep forgetting. Anyone do this and did you find it worthwhile?
 
Have done it regularly with students, I found it very educational especially at a Class C airport.
Call the tower and ask them about how to do it, or ask you flight instructor if he does it regularly or knows your local proceedures.
Asked if can be arranged for you to stay observe for about an hour or so.
It used to be very easy, it has been harder since 9/11.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
I did it a very long time ago a couple of times. I have also been to a TRACON, a Center, and for those of you who can remember a RAPCON.

I have even gotten to get up close and personal with some NavAids including a VOR and a VORTAC
 
HPN, BOS, and LGA. Also visited N90 (NY TRACON), A90 (Boston Consolidated TRACON), and ZNY (NY).

Very good experience and perfect for any pilot (not just students) to gain a greater understanding of how the system operates. The Bermuda and Oceanic operations at ZNY were some of the coolest to watch and learn about it first hand.
 
Our local Class C tower actually required (maybe just requested) that all our local glider pilots visit the tower when we requested our waiver for transponders in Class C airspace.

Brian
 
Visiting a tower and spending an hour or so will make you a much better pilot.. I bet most if not all will let you up with proper prior arrangments made.

Ben
Jackson Hole WY.
 
When I used to instruct out of a towered airport I took advice I had heard from someone and used to bring donuts to the tower guys and hang out and BS with them. That was pre 9/11, they had a direct line from the base of the tower and would buzz the door open. When you are friends with the tower folks and your students screw up they call you instead of getting upset about it and making heck. Smart move for CFI's if you can get access.
 
steamee said:
One thing I kept putting on my list of TODOs during training was to go up and visit the ATC folks in our control tower. Unfortunately, I just keep forgetting. Anyone do this and did you find it worthwhile?
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Yep. BED tower, MHT Tower and TRACON, Pease RAPCON, Boston Center, and Boston TRACON and tower. And, yes, it was useful for both my flying and my work.

It was easier before 9/11.
 
LGA, EWR, ISP, and JFK. N90. And flight check aircraft including the old DC-3 and the old Saberliner.
 
DSM (up-down), PWM (up-down), EWR (tower), IWA (tower), LEB (tower), and ZBW (center). Also the Fort Dodge AFSS. Potomac App, Wash Center, ORF, and RDU are definitely on the list!

As everyone else has said, it's a fantastic experience. Whether you fly there or not, it will give you a much greater understanding of how the system works, what their limitations are, and what you can do to help them (and they, you). I would recomend it to anyone and everyone!
 
NB said:
Visiting a tower and spending an hour or so will make you a much better pilot.. I bet most if not all will let you up with proper prior arrangments made.

Ben
Jackson Hole WY.
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I agree. When you see how things are in a control tower you understand a little more how you can help them.

I've been to the Lincoln, Offut Airforce Base, and the USS Midway control tower.
 
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My next instructional flight is going into controlled air space for the first time. I might try to coax my way in to the tower for a little break.
 
smigaldi said:
Note to self: no lessons with Bruce, he's not my type ;) :D:D

But do you visit the tower?


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Yes. I do all their Class II controll physical and know everyone on a first name basis.

But when my recent IR student got confused by SUS tower who didn't flip the switch for the opposite ILS (and stu missed the ident) it was "tower time". And despite condition Orange they took us on five minutes' notice.
 
brcase said:
Have done it regularly with students, I found it very educational especially at a Class C airport.
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Yup - I visited MSN (an up/down class C), so got to see both tower and TRACON. I also visited GRB AFSS twice before they got closed. It was highly valuable - My favorite part was learning how the airspace is structured, and I learned a few tricks to keep from getting vectored all over the place. Very handy! :yes:
 
My brother in law works for the FAA for many years as a controller in the tracon and ny center, LGA tower, did a management stint at FRG and now is out in Tucson at Davis-Monthan / TUS as manager...(he got me an awesome behind the scenes experience at the boneyard at Davis-Monthan) It is an amazing experience, and one that every pilot should take. OTOH, I also think that every controller should ride aloft with a pilot to see how the other end of their work sounds in the airspace. We'd have a better understanding of how we work with each other.
 
My fiancee and I visited KSAF's control tower about 2 months ago. It was pretty cool. I called from the base of the tower and they were very accommodating.
 
steamee said:
One thing I kept putting on my list of TODOs during training was to go up and visit the ATC folks in our control tower. Unfortunately, I just keep forgetting. Anyone do this and did you find it worthwhile?
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Visited just last month in conjunction with an FAA runway safety meeting. I hadn't been in a control tower since the '90s. I thought it worthwhile as you can surely gain some insights on the controller's perspective.
Rod
 
The KFCM guys did a fantastic job with my daughters Girl Scout troop last year (4th grade).

The only criticism was that student controllers at a non-radar facility work hard to impress 9 year olds and the lecture spanned radar, transponders, instrument landing, tower-BRITE, no-radio light gun procedures emergencies, bird strikes, and crash response (it was a scuzzy snowy day and no one was flying).

I had to retranslate as "we file flight plans which print out there, then we pull out of those hangers there, then we take off on that long strip out in front ..."

Seriously though it was very well done. At KFCM they are desparate to give the runway incursion lecture. We have had a spate of minor incidents involving itinerant pilots, ground construction, and Jimmy Johns delivery.
So they are very welcoming to set up the tower visits and they'll even come speak/QA at any EAA,AngelFlight,club function that serves donuts.

I attached my "handout" for the girls. I put quite a bit of enthusiasm into it. My daughter said the girls thought it was lame ... for her Flying involves winged ponies. *sigh*

Todd
 

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Excluding when I was a controller, I've been in a few towers since. When Williamsport (PA) has their open house, they open the tower up to tours. The controllers there are good people and they'll explain each positions responsibilities. Willow Grove Tower and GCA are nice as well, however I'm not sure if the GCA is still open or not; I think it is.

If you coordinate in advance, you may be able to visit Lancaster and/or Reading towers in this area.

It's worth the visit and should put some things more into perspective.
 
DutchessFlier said:
My brother in law works for the FAA for many years as a controller in the tracon and ny center, LGA tower, did a management stint at FRG and now is out in Tucson at Davis-Monthan / TUS as manager...(he got me an awesome behind the scenes experience at the boneyard at Davis-Monthan) It is an amazing experience, and one that every pilot should take...
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POA FLY-IN!!!!! :yesnod:
 
A long time ago I worked in the original terminal building at the Minneapolis airport which was right next to the new tower (the old tower was on my building but they moved the cab to the new tower when it was built). Since it was so close I visited the tower and the TRACON just below the tower several times each year. More recently I've dropped in at the tower on my home base (KFCM) every couple years to see what's going on and catch the unique view. I also arranged a visit for my daughter's Girl Scout troupe once. I've been to Minneapolis Center twice for Operation Rain Check.
 
Yes, I think it's very informative to go up to the Tower.. I've been to the Tower at RHV, DFW, GKY, and XFL. I saw the last Shuttle Launch from the tower at XFL. It was pretty awesome.
 
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To the tower with you!

In the .mov file, note EAA's photog. OUTSIDE the window on the gantry.....
 

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This was my visit to LGA a long time ago.
lga_twr2.jpg


Flat Stanley, a project in my third grade class, came along for the tour. :D\

Boston Tower was also pretty cool:
P1010800.sized.jpg
 
I just visted NorCal TRACON on Friday; the Bay Area FlyOut Group organizes visits to ATC facilities. I'm a student pilot with about 40 hours and the visit was awesome. Really interesting, educational, and very impressive. I had some idea how complex the job ATC does is but nothing like seeing it for yourself. Also nice to meet the actual people on the other side of the radio. Friendly folks, and I don't think it's just because we brought donuts.

Our tour was in three parts. First was a presentation from one of the ATCs / education coordinators, Powerpoint explaining how the facility worked. Then we got a demo of the equipment at a simulation training system. Then the best part, sitting down with the controller working the space over my home airport (KSQL) which also handles approaches in to SFO. That was fantastic, listening in and watching him work the screens and sequence traffic. When we sat down he wasn't very busy and we had time to chat, then things picked up and we got into one of those five-minutes-without-a-break-on-the-frequency things. Very impressive attention management.

Key takeaway from me was how much they appreciate it when pilots are professional on the radio. Also that they enjoy helping pilots out, their pride in their work. We also were told by several controllers that they have a real staffing shortage now, having a hard time training replacements for the retirees. That surprised me a bit, it looks like a great job! But it's demanding, too, and they said they're having a lot of people fail training.

I haven't visited a tower yet, that's my next plan.
 
steamee said:
One thing I kept putting on my list of TODOs during training was to go up and visit the ATC folks in our control tower. Unfortunately, I just keep forgetting. Anyone do this and did you find it worthwhile?
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I've visited Ellington (EFD), Hooks (DWH), Bush Intercontinental (IAH), Houston Center and Houston Approach and have found each and every visit to be worthwhile.. especially for seeing how the other half works...
 
A couple of years ago the BAMA (Bd. of Av. Med. Advisors) made a Potomac Tracon visit. Man that place is a FORTRESS.
 
bbchien said:
A couple of years ago the BAMA (Bd. of Av. Med. Advisors) made a Potomac Tracon visit. Man that place is a FORTRESS.
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Yeah, but it didn't seem anymore so than ZAU. Show your ID, get checked off the list, go through the metal detector, wait for your escort, as I recall. Of course we did drive by the road that would take us there not once but twice, missing it both times! Real fun turning a motor coach around on that 2-lane road! :no:
 
bbchien said:
A couple of years ago the BAMA (Bd. of Av. Med. Advisors) made a Potomac Tracon visit. Man that place is a FORTRESS.
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gprellwitz said:
Yeah, but it didn't seem anymore so than ZAU. Show your ID, get checked off the list, go through the metal detector, wait for your escort, as I recall. Of course we did drive by the road that would take us there not once but twice, missing it both times! Real fun turning a motor coach around on that 2-lane road! :no:
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At the TRACON in Elgin they also do a car inspection including mirrors under the chassis. I had a giant bag of survival gear in my truck. It was a big green bag and the guards just looked at it, asked me what it was and then said ok. Security theater. Once we made it inside we could roam pretty much where we wanted.
 
Class D towers are a good choice for first tower visits -- usually minimal hassle.

When I was 10 my dad took me to Newark Airport -- I toured the tower, then got to ride on the Crash Truck and shoot water from the turret hose.

No pictures, though.

:frown3:
 
smigaldi said:
At the TRACON in Elgin they also do a car inspection including mirrors under the chassis. I had a giant bag of survival gear in my truck. It was a big green bag and the guards just looked at it, asked me what it was and then said ok. Security theater. Once we made it inside we could roam pretty much where we wanted.
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At Aurora we couldn't drive the cars within the outer gate. There's a guest lot away from the building we had to use. It was the same at Potomac. The bus couldn't get inside the secure area.
 
Here are the ATC facilities I've been in:

[FONT=&quot][/FONT] John Wayne/Orange Co – Tower
Enid-Woodring – Tower
Andersen AFB (Guam) – Tower
Elmendorf AFB - Tower
Westover ARB – Tower
Seymour Johnson AFB – Tower/RAPCON
Selfridge ANGB – Tower/RAPCON
Detroit Metropolitan – Tower/TRACON
Taif AB (Saudi Arabia) – Tower/RAPCON
RAF Upper Heyford (UK) – Tower/RAPCON
RAF Brize Norton (UK) – Tower/Radar
Vance AFB – Tower/RAPCON
Will Rogers World Airport (Oklahoma City) – Tower/TRACON
Khorat AB (Thailand) – Tower/RAPCON
Osan AB (Korea) – Tower/RAPCON
Kunsan AB (Korea) – Tower/RAPCON
Kadena AB (Okinawa) – Tower/RAPCON
Misawa AB (Japan) – Tower/Approach Control
Yokota AB (Japan) – Tower/RAPCON
Tokyo Haneda (Japan) – Tower/Approach Control
Miami Int’l – Tower/TRACON
Grissom ARB – Tower/RAPCON
Luke AFB – RAPCON
Eglin AFB – RAPCON
Moody AFB – RAPCON
Atlanta TRACON
SOCAL TRACON
Homestead ARB – Tower/GCA
March ARB – Tower/GCA
Honolulu Int’l – Combined Control Facility (Tower/Approach/Center)
Washington ARTCC
Cleveland ARTCC
Atlanta ARTCC
London Area Control Centre
Tokyo Area Control Center
Guam Center Radar Approach Control








 
Lansing was my first tower visit, took a day off of work when I was a student.

Been up in Willamsport tower several times. Somehow I got tasked to lead the tower tour at one of the wrap fly-in's. (really I just walked the group over to the tower from the fly-in and called up to get buzzed in. Then the controllers took over) Willamsport tower really isn't all that impressive. A basic class delta. A big room with a great view and lots of radios but that's about it.
 
kkoran said:
Here are the ATC facilities I've been in:

John Wayne/Orange Co – Tower
Enid-Woodring – Tower
Andersen AFB (Guam) – Tower
Elmendorf AFB - Tower
Westover ARB – Tower
Seymour Johnson AFB – Tower/RAPCON
Selfridge ANGB – Tower/RAPCON
Detroit Metropolitan – Tower/TRACON
Taif AB (Saudi Arabia) – Tower/RAPCON
RAF Upper Heyford (UK) – Tower/RAPCON
RAF Brize Norton (UK) – Tower/Radar
Vance AFB – Tower/RAPCON
Will Rogers World Airport (Oklahoma City) – Tower/TRACON
Khorat AB (Thailand) – Tower/RAPCON
Osan AB (Korea) – Tower/RAPCON
Kunsan AB (Korea) – Tower/RAPCON
Kadena AB (Okinawa) – Tower/RAPCON
Misawa AB (Japan) – Tower/Approach Control
Yokota AB (Japan) – Tower/RAPCON
Tokyo Haneda (Japan) – Tower/Approach Control
Miami Int’l – Tower/TRACON
Grissom ARB – Tower/RAPCON
Luke AFB – RAPCON
Eglin AFB – RAPCON
Moody AFB – RAPCON
Atlanta TRACON
SOCAL TRACON
Homestead ARB – Tower/GCA
March ARB – Tower/GCA
Honolulu Int’l – Combined Control Facility (Tower/Approach/Center)
Washington ARTCC
Cleveland ARTCC
Atlanta ARTCC
London Area Control Centre
Tokyo Area Control Center
Guam Center Radar Approach Control
Click to expand...

Couldn't you figure out what they were doing by the fourth of fifth facility?

:rolleyes:
 
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