Washington, D.C. – Leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation sent a bipartisan letter today to the head of the Department of Transportation and the FAA expressing disappointment with the FAA’s “unprecedented decision” to close 149 air traffic control contract towers to meet the […]
FAA
Sequestration’s silver lining
The news last week that the FAA will delay closing 149 contract control towers should come as a bit of a relief to the folks at SUN ’n FUN, since Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport was among the first slated to close. That meant SUN ’n FUN had to come up with the money to pay controllers […]
FAA delay tower closures
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FAA will delay the closures of all 149 federal contract air traffic control towers until June 15. Last month, the FAA announced it would eliminate funding for these towers as part of the agency’s required $637 million budget cuts under sequestration. This additional time will allow the agency to attempt to […]
Do we need this control tower?
There is a lot of chatter about the pending tower closures. Yet I don’t hear anyone asking, “Do we need this control tower?” Immediately after the FAA released its tower closure list, the newly elected Congressman from my district, Denny Heck, issued a press release regarding Olympia Regional (OLM) and Tacoma Narrows (TIW) airports: “This […]
Airports sue over tower closures
The Associated Press is reporting that several airports have asked a federal court to stop the FAA’s plan to close 149 contract air traffic control towers, accusing the agency of violating federal law meant to ensure major changes at airports do not erode safety. Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, Ill., has joined other airports, […]
Study says FAA could save $1 billion
As the FAA prepares to close 149 air traffic control towers as part of more than $600 million in spending cuts required by the sequester, a new Reason Foundation study shows how the FAA could save $1 billion a year by consolidating air traffic control centers and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities. More than […]
Lawsuit on GA emissions dismissed
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia court has dismissed a lawsuit by environmentalist group Friends of the Earth pushing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to decide whether lead emissions from general aviation aircraft endanger public health and welfare. The court said the issue is not one that it can take up under a […]
Why get upset about towers closing?
Starting April 7, the FAA will close 149 contract air traffic control towers to help reduce expenditures as required by sequestration. General aviation uses thousands of airports that do not have towers, so why are GA advocates getting upset over the closing of these towers? That’s a question many pilots are asking. Answer: The closings […]
FAA releases guide for pilots affected by tower closures
The FAA has released a guide for pilots affected by the upcoming tower closures. It begins: Airports operate safely throughout the United States with and without towers. On April 7, the FAA will stop funding for 149 contract control towers in three phases that did not meet the national interest screening criteria.. Funding will stop […]