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It's official...FAA to Close 149 U.S. Airport Towers After Budget Cuts

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The U.S. will close 149 air-traffic control towers run by contractors at small- and mid-sized airports on April 7 as a result of automatic budget cuts at government agencies, a trade group said. The Federal Aviation Administration spared 24 towers on its original list of 173 subject to closing, the Contract Tower Association, which represents companies running the facilities, said today in an e-mail. All towers being shut down are run by private companies, not the government as at larger… (www.bloomberg.com) Ещё...

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bovineone
Jeff Lawson 3
AOPA also writes about the official closure list: http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2013/130322faa-to-release-list-of-tower-closures.html

The official list of 149 is on the FAA site here: http://www.faa.gov/news/media/fct_closed.pdf
canuck44
canuck44 2
Easy targets as they are all contracted (Translation: Non-union). $500 Million in Consulting Fees and $200 Million in travel spared. Actual budget increase $150-250 Million dollars. They will now begin the shakedown to have the airport owners pay for this service. We should do this with the TSA if it can be done with the FAA.
preacher1
preacher1 1
Strange. FSM was on the original list to be cut. They were not on the FA list here as one to be saved, yet you look on the official closure list that Jeff posted above and they aren't there either. Tickles me to death.LIT was on reduced hours list. Texarkana folks won't be happy. All NW AR traffic has shifted over to KXNA so it won't kill Drake field.
WALLACE24
WALLACE24 1
They may have to come up with a new airspace designation at some of these. Hard to keep up communication without a radio.
preacher1
preacher1 1
Word is they kept KFSM because of the ANG wing. Those operations weren't counted in the original. LIT was initially restricted on the back shift. It no longer shows as LIT Airport talked about after hours expansion by some carriers.As I said Texarkana folks won't be happy and all commericial traffic at Drake has shifted to KXNA. It's biggest thing is a home game at the UofA during football season and some corporate stuff based there, but even that is going away.
ipaisalman
ipaisalman 1
KBCT is a busy little corporate airport, just south of KPBI. The controllers only worked during the day.
Late night it's already an uncontrolled field. Are they crazy allowing Gulfstreams and Cessna 150's together without adult supervision?
preacher1
preacher1 1
Well, it's like a guy told me the other day, when him and other c150 drivers hear a jet talking for in/out, they scatter.lol
tyketto
Brad Littlejohn 1
Whoa..

I just noticed that while the mini-route over LAX was spared (requires HHR and SMO towers, both of which were on the list), as well as the US 101 transition through the SFO Class B (requiring SQL Tower), LAL and OCF were also spared (Fun'n'Sun)...

However, OSH is still on the list,which tells me that it will be shutting down. How is that going to affect EAA Airventure?
ntc
Neal CLARY 1
Noticed that Wittman is closing as well. Pretty incredible... I was planning on flying up to AirVenture for the first time this year, should be an interesting exercise.
JetMech24
JetMech24 1
I thought they used volunteer controlers for the event?
JetMech24
JetMech24 1
CaseyGa1991
Casey Strickland 1
Glad to see CSG Tower staying open :)
preacher1
preacher1 1
Well, depending on how they phase it in, I'll have to get used to takeoff and land without a tower. We do it all the time at outlying locations. It will seem strange at your home field
bovineone
Jeff Lawson 1
I used to fly exclusively out of KSGR, which is one of the affected airports. The existence of a tower used to be one of the selling points for students training out of that field so now some of that training experience for new students will be gone.
aggieflyer
aggieflyer 1
Mark my words - the moment it starts raining airplane parts over peoples houses and there is a class action against the FAA, and there will be, these towers will reopen. It is just a travesty that is going to take our brothers and sisters sacrificing their lives for it to happen.
pfp217
pfp217 2
I have this feeling it won't even be that long.. there seems to be a theme of 11:59 miracles.. this is doomed that is doomed, and then someone comes in and saves the day, or it gets pushed back 3 months.. I dunno maybe I'm wrong this time but I have this feeling..

preacher1
preacher1 1
ipaisalman
ipaisalman 1
I just read that they are also withdrawing the controllers from SUA (Stuart, Fl). Bad news for Tiger Woods, who's Jupiter Island home is within 15 min's and is where his NetJets G-550 picks him up and drops him off. Now he'll have a 35 min drive to PBI. Unfortunate for him.
lesmiserables1
Pamela Ware 0
Lets put the blame for the list containing only FCTs on the correct doorstep. NATCA and the FAA reached the decision to close ONLY FCTs. Lets face it, one of NATCA's main goals has always been to regain the Federal Contract Towers. Since they were involved in the sequestration implementation selection process, its only common sense that they would elect to shut down ONLY FCTs. FCTs have a much higher safety rating than FAA towers, are run on a third of the personnel, save the American taxpayer millions and are a much better option than the Union run FAA. Unfortunately, even though NATCA is paid to represent numerous FCTs as their union, they have completely failed in being fair and operating above board. Shame on NATCA. Their true colors have come home to roost. One question, where will the FAA controllers retiring at 56 now go to work? They won't be able to take the job of a deserving military retiree or a deserving individual that wasn't picked up because of the age limit for new new hires. It all comes around, doesn't it?
pthomas745
Pa Thomas 0
preacher1
preacher1 2
I saw this yesterday when she posted. May be some truth in there but sounds like some sour grapes as well. It was strange that all FTC towers were hit first. If they were selective, undoubtedly there would have been some FAA towers go to or in place of some of these. There may be some later but for the time being, it looks like furloughs. I'm like some of the others here in that the sequester is a cut of what they are going to receive, not what they have and already paid for in this years allocation. Why not just put on a hiring freeze and maintain current status quo?
NWAARJ
NWAARJ 2
The reason they are cutting contract towers first is because its an easy, quick fix. The FAA must give NATCA a year notice to close FAA towers. If sequestration is going to continue past this fiscal year, we will see a fair amount of FAA towers close next year, along with a bunch closing on the midnight shifts.
NWAARJ
NWAARJ 0
You must work for a contract tower, as your views are very skewered.
tyketto
Brad Littlejohn 0
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

Closure Dates for Towers Released

Not all of the towers that made the closure list due to sequestration will close at once. They will be staggered, based on traffic levels. 24 will close on April 7th, 46 on April 21st, and 79 on May 5th.

http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2013/130325schedule-for-tower-closures-released.html?CMP=ADV:1
CaseyGa1991
Casey Strickland -2
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

Press Release – FAA Makes Tower Closing Decision

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reached the decision that 149 federal contract towers will close beginning April 7 as part of the agency’s sequestration implementation plan. The agency has made the decision to keep 24 federal contract towers open that had been previously proposed for closure because doing so would have a negative impact on the national interest.

http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=14414
cc17926
Brian L -1
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

Air Towers Closing In Our Area (Philadelphia)

The closures will not force the shutdown those airports, but pilots will be left to coordinate takeoffs and landings among themselves over a shared radio frequency.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Air-Towers-Closing-In-Our-Area-199594011.html

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