4 thoughts on “List of towers the FAA plans to close”

  1. Matt

    If its an aciident waiting to happen ( and it could very well be, looking back at past history)

    I have offered a solution as above.

    NOW…it is up to the LMA’s and County to sit down and iron it out.
    AND since they are airtanker bases, and the LMA’s KNEW full well what they were getting into……

    The onus is on THEM to get to WORK and Solve the problem, if indeed they hold contracts, ownership or any type of real estate, contractual issues of maintaining and staffing….then it is on the LMA’s.

    I would like to see a document on the ownership of the tower.. more than likely County and the ATB …most likely USFS and CalFire….this all spell those entities.

    I have offered a solution that no one else, on this board anyway, to AD the ATC types. The LMA’s AD everyone elsi the system from Base Camp, Logs, GIS…time to PAAYY the piper in aviation and staff the tower when the season arrives.

    Simple for me to say….correct……But do the LMA foresters and non flying types have a solution? We will see!!

    As some people have said ….simple get the money, staff the tower, sign the MOU and run the mission and have a cup of stfu!!

  2. Well two of those California towers are tanker bases. Closing the towers at both Fox and Ramona is an accident waiting to happen. There is enough tanker and general aviation traffic at both airports to cause a problem on days where there is not a huge fire and to top it off Fox has a good about of military traffic as well.

  3. Two I am intimately familiar with.
    North Bend, OTH Oregon, and Pendleton PDT, Oregon. I was dubious about the need for a Tower at OTH from the get-go. It was an effort to get more traffic there mainly luring Horizon (Alaska) back to the Airport. Millions spent, New Terminal, new tower (the place was served uncontrolled or with remote FSS for years….) No big airline…Horizon
    did not respond to the “IF WE build it YOU will come (back) argument.
    Like Pendleton, they are served well by SeaPort Airlines a smallish
    commuter that files the Pilatus PC-12 single engine turboprop.
    good plane for this kind of market. However they have limited appeal to some as there is a certain kind of traveler the likes at least two fans
    out there. The PC-12 is a good aircraft, and I’d fly one-passenger or pilot.
    Also less than 2 hours away is Eugene Oregon- EUG that serves several
    major airlines…the factor that Horizon found to be the deciding reason
    for departure from OTH’s martket. So this closure makes a bit of sense..
    Now Pendelton-PDT- actually probably busier than OTH with an Army
    National Guard Helo unit based there. Where that is with Sequestration I
    haven’t a clue. Nothing yet in local media. There is considerably more
    air traffic there both local and transient. The tower has been contracted for years…However it isn’t as busy as Fox or Ramona on a fire bust…
    though fewer and fewer fire fighting aircraft may make that point moot
    also..
    Myself, the cities that use taxpayer money to fund towers that have really little to do with safety should be cut. But this is a shotgun approach and
    basically not well thought out..
    My 2c…

  4. Well talking to few well repected individuals today…I offered this suggestion….

    Since these are contract towers and some may indeed be owned by the county or state systems……

    How about developing a MOU (which might be done already) with the county , State, Federal and run it under a pseudo AD system to bring back some ATC types on a FAA scale comparable to AD …how about K ?

    No Fed LMA TOLC types…this would REQUIRE a tru ATC background…

    Run it under a contract through the community and the LMA’s ….the counties would not be making large dinero but the LMA’s would have to pay a 3- to 6 month Fire Season rent and have REAL FAA tower types during the season. Since they are laid off, it would be up to the LMA’s (if they are going to be concerned about SAFETY, we in the real aviation world know this word already…before LMA’s introduced theirs) to pay the AD rate to keep it open.

    Now I am sure this has been talked about before….BUT NOW is the time. I probabaly have an idea where this will go. …… but it sure would better than to leave the tower idle during fire season.

    I know there will be naysayer out there in the LMA world that will pooopooo this idea because it might have to make them work a little harder for their paycheck and work with some civilians and county board types that they may not like.

    The olld FIREWISE addage comes to mind for you Cal Fire and USFS non flight types……..get some buy in BUY IN BUY IN BUY IN….that was always preached by the LMA’s when I was in a FIREWISE position.

    NOW it is time for the LMA’s to get buy in for the above idea………I know there would be more than a dozen pilots that would agree to this and maybe even a County Airport Board member…..NOW lets seee what those wacky Land management types ( like real estate and ologist types)can do to get an MOU penned and get this movin along

    Anybody in the LMA non flyin ground poundin firefightin tree huggin mode see a problem with this????

    Bring it on buoyyyz and grllllzzzz and see if you can one up this little idea!

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