Air-traffic towers may be going dark

[gldstwmn]

http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories...15456,00.html#

Gov't suggestion criticized as unsafe, 'stupid.'

By Leslie Miller
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Control towers at some airports could go dark between midnight and 5 a.m. under a cost-cutting plan the government is considering.
The air traffic controllers' union says the move would compromise safety. Lawmakers worry it could lead to service reductions in their states.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said Wednesday that if the Federal Aviation Administration closes the tower in Fairbanks, Alaska, during the early morning hours, it "would be the most stupid suggestion I've ever heard from the bureaucracy."

FAA spokesman Greg Martin said the agency is looking to adjust staffing to meet changes in demand. The FAA has not made a final decision and is reviewing each airport, he said.

There are 48 airports that handle few commercial and cargo flights in those five late-night hours.

Doug Church, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said closing the towers for any period of time "is just not safe."

Federal air traffic controllers staff 315 airports, but not all do it around the clock. For example, control towers at Mansfield Regional Airport in Ohio and at Palm Springs International Airport in California operate for only 17 hours, Martin said.

In addition, there are 193 airports with scheduled commercial service that do not even have control towers, Martin said.

When a tower is empty, pilots are always in voice contact with a controller, either at the Terminal Radar Approach Control or at a center, Martin said.

Approach controls handle aircraft approaching and departing airports within about a 50-mile radius; the 21 centers handle much bigger segments of airspace.

Church said it is important that pilots have controllers who can see runway conditions.

The Bush administration has proposed a lean budget in 2006 for the FAA. Yet next year, the FAA plans to hire and train about 1,200 air traffic controllers to replace those who are leaving.

Rep. John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure's aviation subcommittee, said closing some towers for part of the day is a good idea.

"Sometimes they have one or two planes landing at this airport and it's costing us tens of millions of dollars to keep them open," Mica said.

With the FAA's budget problems, Mica said more than 48 airports may need to have staffing hours reduced. "We have to start looking at what makes sense financially," he said.

[estranged4life]

"What..what..what?" Are they (Our so beloved government) high or just wishin' they were?

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

"What..what..what?" Are they (Our so beloved government) high or just wishin' they were?

Well, no one will be monitoring low flying planes during the 12-5 shift so...

[tynan88]

I don't know about you, but that sounds ridiculous to me, and I am sorry Brian, but I can't for the life of me think what show that is from. What is it?

[estranged4life]

Originally Posted by tynan88

I don't know about you, but that sounds ridiculous to me, and I am sorry Brian, but I can't for the life of me think what show that is from. What is it?

"What..What..what" is a favorite saying of Kyle's Mother on South Park

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by tynan88

I don't know about you, but that sounds ridiculous to me, and I am sorry Brian, but I can't for the life of me think what show that is from. What is it?

Don't feel bad I didn't get it either - now I realize why - I have no cable and therefore have never seen South Park.