CNN: Tower Closures

JVL, DBQ, and OSH?! Seriously they want to close OSH!? I hope the FAA is planning on making an exemption to that during the airshow. You know, when it becomes the busiest airport in the WORLD for a few days!

Shocked to see DPA on that list, too.
 
5Right_5Left said:
I was just as shocked when I saw DPA since I did my primary training there and it was always busy with corporate stuff all day long. It was not on the final list published today though.
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Good. Yes, DPA has a LOT of traffic, glad it wasn't on the final list.
 
KPWA (Oklahoma City Wiley Post) is on the list, but I understand that the City of OKC will keep it open by paying the costs.

Other cities are probably doing that, so how do we determine which are remaining open under new arrangements, and which are really going dark?
 
Most of those towers have either operated just fine for years without a tower, or traffic has fallen off dramatically from when the tower was built.

Looking on the list for the TX and OK airports, I don't see any that can't operate just fine without a tower.

Even OSH and LAL will be covered by NOTAMs and temporary towers during the fly ins.
 
MQAAord said:
DBQ? LSE? Don't they still have airline service?
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Yeah, but so do State College and Pellston. No problems flying a CRJ into those two uncontrolled. The only FL one that has me scratching my head is Boca, but I don't know how busy it is. I know it's a big retirement community, so I ASSUME it's fairly busy. I might be wrong. The rest kinda make sense. Tupelo, MS is a ghost town even when it HAD a decent amount of airline traffic. Delta's more or less killed it, though. Olive Branch, MS is a big reliever airport for Memphis, so we'll see how that goes.
 
According to this report, some of the airports on the list do have airline traffic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/22/faa-closing-air-traffic-towers_n_2934601.html

I know that Hagerstown and Salisbury do get airline traffic.

I see that CNN chose to highlight Frederick. Gee, you don't think the FAA said they'd close that to get AOPA all up in arms or anything, did you? Nah, that wasn't part of its motivation at all. No, having AOPA tell its members to push for an end to the sequester had NOTHING to do with its inclusion on the list. Nope, no political aspect to it at all.

And I'm not a cynic at all. Never was, and never will be.

By the way, did I tell you about this Mexican land that's going to be annexed by the United States that's RIGHT NEXT TO THE OCEAN? And I can sell it to you for cheap.
 
tonyw said:
According to this report, some of the airports on the list do have airline traffic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/22/faa-closing-air-traffic-towers_n_2934601.html

I know that Hagerstown and Salisbury do get airline traffic.

I see that CNN chose to highlight Frederick. Gee, you don't think the FAA said they'd close that to get AOPA all up in arms or anything, did you? Nah, that wasn't part of its motivation at all. No, having AOPA tell its members to push for an end to the sequester had NOTHING to do with its inclusion on the list. Nope, no political aspect to it at all.

And I'm not a cynic at all. Never was, and never will be.

By the way, did I tell you about this Mexican land that's going to be annexed by the United States that's RIGHT NEXT TO THE OCEAN? And I can sell it to you for cheap.
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SAF receives a few airline flights per day plus extensive corperate traffic.
 
BTL is an interesting decision. Last year I believe it was the 3rd busiest airport in MI behind PTK and DTW, mostly in part to WMU being there. Going to have to be extra vigilant with all the pilot training in and out with no tower now.
 
USMCmech said:
Most of those towers have either operated just fine for years without a tower, or traffic has fallen off dramatically from when the tower was built.

Looking on the list for the TX and OK airports, I don't see any that can't operate just fine without a tower.

Even OSH and LAL will be covered by NOTAMs and temporary towers during the fly ins.
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You will never have much of a problem at airports without a tower. It becomes a problem when aircraft in which maybe slower holding up air traffic at nearby airports because of IFR/weather separation requirements. Happens all the time at large and small airports as reasons for your delays.
 
jmreii said:
You will never have much of a problem at airports without a tower. It becomes a problem when aircraft in which maybe slower holding up air traffic at nearby airports because of IFR/weather separation requirements. Happens all the time at large and small airports as reasons for your delays.
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Depends on the definition of "much of a problem." We had some real wild cards flying in GKY before the tower opened. Once they realized FAA enforcement was a real option because of the field having a control tower, they either got with the program or moved to a different field. The days of guys blasting into the pattern without advising the rest of the traffic were at least lessened.
 
Let's be honest, GKY was a f-ing zoo before the tower. I expect the same after the closure. Doesn't help that most of the pilots don't actually speak english...
 
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