Busiest Non-towered

skatergeek said:
I’m sure it has gotten better, but before the economic collapse and flight training was insane at iwa, the stack would routinely be at 9-9500. No joke. Then you got people doing power off 180s in the pattern as well. Then just to the east you had the SE practice area which was on a different freq. Crazy times. Sure kept it interesting out there.
Click to expand...

The pattern traffic should just go to Ak Chin a few miles to the west and beat up the pattern there.

The best are the training planes that make a full stop and taxi in to the ramp not following any taxi lines, and taxi across the helipad straight to the terminal. :D
 
Back in the 90's you had a host of places where the towers had been shuttered during the controller's strike and never reopened....fun times...it's a comparative ATC renaissance these days.
 
Richman said:
Back in the 90's you had a host of places where the towers had been shuttered during the controller's strike and never reopened....fun times...it's a comparative ATC renaissance these days.
Click to expand...

One of the closed ATC towers during the '81 PATCO strike was cited as a tertiary factor in the collision between a SkyWest Metro and a MU-2, one landing and one departing the same runway.
 
Lawman said:
Yeah during the battle of Mosul between State Dept, Iraqi Police Air, civil traffic, the Canadian Huey’s, our operations of Old Cargo and Attack ramp, the Ospreys, and a crap load of “unmarked civilian aircraft”.... F that place.

Add to the the fact that the 1 tower frequency also handled ground, clearance delivery, and approach.... probably the most useless tower I’ve ever seen.

That was one of the reasons we would just make the call, get stupid low, and try not to run into that idiot in the gyrocopter.
Click to expand...
Ahhh yes, the good old days.

Don't forget to lump in the dumbasses from down south, who didn't bother to read the Erbil APG.
I really enjoy almost swapping paint with my Hawk cohorts.
 
Nark said:
Ahhh yes, the good old days.

Don't forget to lump in the dumbasses from down south, who didn't bother to read the Erbil APG.
I really enjoy almost swapping paint with my Hawk cohorts.
Click to expand...

Battle of Mosul was the "good ole days?"

The good ole days was '03.....'01 if you're talking the Afghan fiasco.

:D
 
2017 was an entire year ago!

My proudest moment of the "Battle": Tying up an LZ, making the Iraqi PM late for a photo op.
 
MikeD said:
Battle of Mosul was the "good ole days?"

The good ole days was '03.....'01 if you're talking the Afghan fiasco.

:D
Click to expand...

1402 missiles fired in a 9 month deployment and that was just us.... way better than the guys who spent a year flying 24 hour security over Mosul in 2010 and had literally 3 engagements,
 
Stinger said:
Deland FL, DED, has that almost tied at 322/day on Airnav (Even restricted to no touch-goes when 3 or more in pattern.)
COI at 311

Found one busier. Palm Beach County (LNA) 347/day
Click to expand...

Flew a Lear into DED once and still haven’t forgotten it. I have never seen a pattern so busy. Couldn’t even believe it, felt like going into Oshkosh.
 
Richman said:
LNA can be busy, but it's pretty quiet when Trumps in town.

F45 is the only uncontrolled field in the region with an ILS, so it gets pretty sporty out there as well.
Click to expand...

The practice approaches can get exciting at F45. Non-towered with an ILS, 3 GPS approaches and a VOR approach that’ll get you near the airport. It really becomes a party when everyone is out. That’s two helicopter schools, two fixed wing schools and the non-traditional traffic (HP aerobatic planes, a motor glider) and a wind shift from a thunderstorm.
 
CFI A&P said:
The practice approaches can get exciting at F45. Non-towered with an ILS, 3 GPS approaches and a VOR approach that’ll get you near the airport. It really becomes a party when everyone is out. That’s two helicopter schools, two fixed wing schools and the non-traditional traffic (HP aerobatic planes, a motor glider) and a wind shift from a thunderstorm.
Click to expand...

Much as I hate to say it, F45 needs a tower. I've seen some "convenient" ground clearing around the airport making it look like they're thinking about extending 13/31, but I haven't heard any scuttlebutt about it.

There is a TON of residential construction just starting along the north side of Northlake Blvd west of the Beeline. That property has been farmland/wetlands for a forever, and the owners just sold out a few years ago. The county was dragging it's feet on development, but they gave the go ahead about a year ago.

Problem is that is right along the downwind for 8R/26L. I live just on the S side of Northlake and you really don't hear it, but those people will.

I moved to the sticks to get away from people, and more just keep piling in....
 
Richman said:
Much as I hate to say it, F45 needs a tower. I've seen some "convenient" ground clearing around the airport making it look like they're thinking about extending 13/31, but I haven't heard any scuttlebutt about it.

There is a TON of residential construction just starting along the north side of Northlake Blvd west of the Beeline. That property has been farmland/wetlands for a forever, and the owners just sold out a few years ago. The county was dragging it's feet on development, but they gave the go ahead about a year ago.

Problem is that is right along the downwind for 8R/26L. I live just on the S side of Northlake and you really don't hear it, but those people will.

I moved to the sticks to get away from people, and more just keep piling in....
Click to expand...

If you're south of Northlake then your house is under the right wing in my profile photo. I agree, at times it is very busy although one helicopter school just shut down and the frequent TFRs are slowing the airport down. However recentlt one L39 started flying out of that airport now and soon to be another. Rumor has it that 13/31 will be extended and possibly 8R/26L too. The county is building a wall or fence on the south side of the airport, probably a wall for noise between the airport and that new neighborhood.

The development of the area is accelerating, there is a neighborhood under construction at 20 mile bend. 20 mile bend used to be where you'd go to dump a body and shoot guns, but now it will be another golf course country club area and less sugar cane crop.
 
CFI A&P said:
If you're south of Northlake then your house is under the right wing in my profile photo. I agree, at times it is very busy although one helicopter school just shut down and the frequent TFRs are slowing the airport down. However recentlt one L39 started flying out of that airport now and soon to be another. Rumor has it that 13/31 will be extended and possibly 8R/26L too. The county is building a wall or fence on the south side of the airport, probably a wall for noise between the airport and that new neighborhood.

The development of the area is accelerating, there is a neighborhood under construction at 20 mile bend. 20 mile bend used to be where you'd go to dump a body and shoot guns, but now it will be another golf course country club area and less sugar cane crop.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. When they let that spot develop west of the Acreage along P&W (West Lake or Minto, I think), after years of saying no no no, then it was Katie bar the door. Now you've got two large developments getting ready to spool up along Northlake west of Ibis.

Lion Country Safari used to be out the middle of nowhere...and I mean the middle. We drove out that way last weekend to the Sport Aircraft Expo in Sebring and couldn't believe the development.

The people on the N side of Northlake will definitely be in the footprint for F45...I just hope they know about. Dang, we just got self serve, too. The L39 operator is quite literally across the taxiway from my hangar. I have one of the small ones next to the shadeports.

I just got settled in, and it might be time to move....
 
MikeD said:
The pattern traffic should just go to Ak Chin a few miles to the west and beat up the pattern there.

The best are the training planes that make a full stop and taxi in to the ramp not following any taxi lines, and taxi across the helipad straight to the terminal. :D
Click to expand...
Is Ak Chin the old Phoenix regional? I used to take my students there to do power off 180s. Only 1 marking on the entire runway. One little number lol.
 
When I instructed out of RVS, OKM got busy at times since all of the RVS flight schools went down there to shoot practice approaches a lot. Especially when RVS was on a South flow. Fairly organized though since TUL approach provided radar services for the approaches into there.
 
skatergeek said:
Is Ak Chin the old Phoenix regional? I used to take my students there to do power off 180s. Only 1 marking on the entire runway. One little number lol.
Click to expand...

Yes it is. Actually, its becomes quite nice over the last few years. They have improved the runway and taxiways, added lights and a decent hangar/terminal (if you wanna call it a terminal), and done quite a few other little things that make it a good place to practice landings. Plus it has some of the cheapest avgas in the valley.
 
n156499000 said:
Yes it is. Actually, its becomes quite nice over the last few years. They have improved the runway and taxiways, added lights and a decent hangar/terminal (if you wanna call it a terminal), and done quite a few other little things that make it a good place to practice landings. Plus it has some of the cheapest avgas in the valley.
Click to expand...
Man I had a electrical fire one day and we put it down there. Sat there for 4 hours waiting for someone to show up. Not a single plane came either....
 
Crop Duster said:
Don't know, too many.
But there are a few towered airports that sure don't need to be. Near the top of that list would be Salinas, CA
Click to expand...
Slowest tower in the US the last 5+ years has been BBG Branson, MO.
Between 6500-8500 operations each year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top