As part of the federal government’s ongoing efforts to make miniscule budget cut seem like the end of the world, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced this week that it would shutter 149 air traffic control towers across the country within the next three weeks.
Because clearly there’s no waste to be found in our country’s $1 trillion-a-year welfare state …
“These were very tough decisions,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “Unfortunately we are faced with a series of difficult choices that we have to make to reach the required cuts under sequestration.”
Uh-huh …
Three of the towers affected by the agency’s decision are located in South Carolina. They are …
CRE – GRAND STRAND NORTH MYRTLE BEACH
GYH – DONALDSON CENTER GREENVILLE
HXD – HILTON HEAD HILTON HEAD ISLAND
You know, before we get too bent out of shape about this decision let’s ask the question … is air traffic control really a core function of government?
Not really … in which case why not close all of these towers and completely privatize this industry?
Oh right … that would make too much sense.
***
62 comments
Simon: Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet your captain, Captain Oveur.
Clarence Oveur: Gentlemen, welcome aboard.
Simon: Captain, your navigator, Mr. Unger, and your first officer, Mr. Dunn.
Clarence Oveur: Unger.
Unger: Oveur.
Dunn: Oveur.
Clarence Oveur: Dunn. Gentlemen, let’s get to work.
Simon: Unger, didn’t you serve under Oveur in the Air Force?
Unger: Not directly. Technically, Dunn was under Oveur and I was under Dunn.
Dunn: Yep.
Simon: So, Dunn, you were under Oveur and over Unger.
Unger: Yep.
Clarence Oveur: That’s right. Dunn was over Unger and I was over Dunn.
Unger: So, you see, both Dunn and I were under Oveur, even though I was under Dunn.
Clarence Oveur: Dunn was over Unger, and I was over Dunn.
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You must like watching movies about Turkish prisons
(chuckle) — and I thought there would be no laughs for me today!
Simon: Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet your captain, Captain Oveur.
Clarence Oveur: Gentlemen, welcome aboard.
Simon: Captain, your navigator, Mr. Unger, and your first officer, Mr. Dunn.
Clarence Oveur: Unger.
Unger: Oveur.
Dunn: Oveur.
Clarence Oveur: Dunn. Gentlemen, let’s get to work.
Simon: Unger, didn’t you serve under Oveur in the Air Force?
Unger: Not directly. Technically, Dunn was under Oveur and I was under Dunn.
Dunn: Yep.
Simon: So, Dunn, you were under Oveur and over Unger.
Unger: Yep.
Clarence Oveur: That’s right. Dunn was over Unger and I was over Dunn.
Unger: So, you see, both Dunn and I were under Oveur, even though I was under Dunn.
Clarence Oveur: Dunn was over Unger, and I was over Dunn.
Share this
You must like watching movies about Turkish prisons
(chuckle) — and I thought there would be no laughs for me today!
The airlines should be handling the towers at majors anyway…now we get to see if they are all corporate welfare queens or not. I’ll bet they squeal like stuck pigs.
Great idea! Lets think about it for a moment. Since Delta is the big dog at ATL, lets turn over the tower and air traffic control to them. If Delta could favor their planes over their competitors, would they? Where will spacing rules come from? A central authority? Who will that be? What about tower equipment? Who will be responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement? Air traffic controllers. Who will they work for? Where will they get their training? So ?, go ahead and explain the details of your plan.
You figure it out. Do you think competitors can not come up standards in cooperation? I suppose VHS, CD, etc. would have never happened in your fantasy land.
I’ve never seen 600 people die from banging cd’s together.
Yes, and I’m sure the airlines are going to let their the planes collide. The world must be a frightening place for you.
The airlines will only allow planes to collide if the cost will be less than the cost of preventing the planes from colliding. Just like the Pinto.
Maybe, but at least then the cost of a airline ticket won’t be $1 million dollars.
?,
Just like Sic Willie (and Tom Davis) you have all these grandiose plans but no meat on the bones. I ask for details and you retort for me to figure it out. It’s your plan, do you have details or not?
Why should I? Am I an airline? You’re a close minded fool. I’m sure they will get along fine without gov’t “help”, if that even happens.
?,
And how will be assured of this?
Because airlines won’t stay in business if they make it a habit of killing their customers.
And what is the kill threshold? Since airlines are combining thus reducing choice, what is your plan when back water airports like CAE have only two choices and both have high “kill rates”?
BTW, should the FAA cease inspecting and certifying aircraft and let the manufacturers do it?
I’ve already answered all your questions. “airlines won’t stay in business if they make it a habit of killing their customers.”
Ignored does not equate with answered.
What do you expect? Go learn about free markets if you want an answer more in depth, I’m not taking my time to teach you when you are willfully ignorant.
Another attempt at ignoring the detail question. Please tell us exactly how this free market (aka as free for all) system of air traffic control will work.
Seriously, I’m not doing work for the lazy. I trust the airlines, who are experts in how to fly & service their customers way more over over gov’t.
Just remember, every failure resulting in plane collisions in gov’t run control tower regulated airspace is shared fault with the gov’t right now. If the model for success is gov’t bureaucracy vs. private industry, my money is on private industry every time.
If you want to bet on gov’t you better get some good odds.
Airlines would NEVER want to give up government run ATC. Why? Because they could no long blame delays on them and would have assume blame which is something they don’t want to do.
You might be right…they are pretty much crony affairs for the most part. There is always hope though.
My understanding is that aviation fuel has a tax. Big jets use a lot of services from the airports and they use a lot of fuel (paying the tax). Small planes use less fuel and therefore contribute less to the system with this fuel tax. Unlike in Europe and other parts of the world where there are (flat) landing fees, making it un-fair for large jets vs single engine aircraft.
Anyway, airlines are paying their part. As well as the small guys, their share.
Even more reason they should be directing their fees to a privately run organization. The govt does not need to be involved.
The airlines should be handling the towers at majors anyway…now we get to see if they are all corporate welfare queens or not. I’ll bet they squeal like stuck pigs.
Great idea! Lets think about it for a moment. Since Delta is the big dog at ATL, lets turn over the tower and air traffic control to them. If Delta could favor their planes over their competitors, would they? Where will spacing rules come from? A central authority? Who will that be? What about tower equipment? Who will be responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement? Air traffic controllers. Who will they work for? Where will they get their training? So ?, go ahead and explain the details of your plan.
You figure it out. Do you think competitors can not come up standards in cooperation? I suppose VHS, CD, etc. would have never happened in your fantasy land.
I’ve never seen 600 people die from banging cd’s together.
Yes, and I’m sure the airlines are going to let their the planes collide. The world must be a frightening place for you.
The airlines will only allow planes to collide if the cost will be less than the cost of preventing the planes from colliding. Just like the Pinto.
Maybe, but at least then the cost of a airline ticket won’t be $1 million dollars.
?,
Just like Sic Willie (and Tom Davis) you have all these grandiose plans but no meat on the bones. I ask for details and you retort for me to figure it out. It’s your plan, do you have details or not?
Why should I? Am I an airline? You’re a close minded fool. I’m sure they will get along fine without gov’t “help”, if that even happens.
?,
And how will be assured of this?
Because airlines won’t stay in business if they make it a habit of killing their customers.
And what is the kill threshold? Since airlines are combining thus reducing choice, what is your plan when back water airports like CAE have only two choices and both have high “kill rates”?
BTW, should the FAA cease inspecting and certifying aircraft and let the manufacturers do it?
I’ve already answered all your questions. “airlines won’t stay in business if they make it a habit of killing their customers.”
Ignored does not equate with answered.
What do you expect? Go learn about free markets if you want an answer more in depth, I’m not taking my time to teach you when you are willfully ignorant.
Another attempt at ignoring the detail question. Please tell us exactly how this free market (aka as free for all) system of air traffic control will work.
Seriously, I’m not doing work for the lazy. I trust the airlines, who are experts in how to fly & service their customers way more over over gov’t.
Just remember, every failure resulting in plane collisions in gov’t run control tower regulated airspace is shared fault with the gov’t right now. If the model for success is gov’t bureaucracy vs. private industry, my money is on private industry every time.
If you want to bet on gov’t you better get some good odds.
Airlines would NEVER want to give up government run ATC. Why? Because they could no long blame delays on them and would have assume blame which is something they don’t want to do.
You might be right…they are pretty much crony affairs for the most part. There is always hope though.
My understanding is that aviation fuel has a tax. Big jets use a lot of services from the airports and they use a lot of fuel (paying the tax). Small planes use less fuel and therefore contribute less to the system with this fuel tax. Unlike in Europe and other parts of the world where there are (flat) landing fees, making it un-fair for large jets vs single engine aircraft.
Anyway, airlines are paying their part. As well as the small guys, their share.
Even more reason they should be directing their fees to a privately run organization. The govt does not need to be involved.
But the FAA is hiring community outreach coordinators at $100k/yr
But the FAA is hiring community outreach coordinators at $100k/yr
For anyone who has ever lived next to a large airport —–
Airport Noise Scale
For measuring and describing the intensity of noise produced by low-flying aircraft
0–idyllic: clocks can be heard – babies sleep
1-intriguing: visitors look skyward – aspens tremble
2-disturbing: windows rattle – pianos hum
3-annoying: visitors leave – canaries show distress – dishes rattle
4-disquieting: hearing aids disabled – small animals hide
5-oppressive: tv commercials inaudible – fruit falls from trees – milk turns
6-ear splitting: wine glasses shatter – roof tiles crash – clotheslines snap
7-terrifying: taxis head for open country – guitars lose tune
8-deafening: garden ornaments disintegrate – outhouses sag
9-agonizing: sparrows fall – detached houses collapse
10-maddening: oak trees split – paving crazes – semidetached houses collapse
11-stupefying: sporting events abandoned – terraces collapse – governments collapse
12-cataclysmic: life extinguished – atoms split – quarks quake
Ask those old enough to remember the first generation of commercial jet airliners, say the 707s, before much of the noise was engineered out of the engines. The noise of an airliner today taking off is a baby’s cooing compared to those jets.
Originally penned about 1960 – 1962, but I still have fun with it. Some folks get a kick out of it,
I like it.
You could even update it:
“12-cataclysmic: life extinguished – atoms split, quarks quake.”
For anyone who has ever lived next to a large airport —–
Airport Noise Scale
For measuring and describing the intensity of noise produced by low-flying aircraft
0–idyllic: clocks can be heard – babies sleep
1-intriguing: visitors look skyward – aspens tremble
2-disturbing: windows rattle – pianos hum
3-annoying: visitors leave – canaries show distress – dishes rattle
4-disquieting: hearing aids disabled – small animals hide
5-oppressive: tv commercials inaudible – fruit falls from trees – milk turns
6-ear splitting: wine glasses shatter – roof tiles crash – clotheslines snap
7-terrifying: taxis head for open country – guitars lose tune
8-deafening: garden ornaments disintegrate – outhouses sag
9-agonizing: sparrows fall – detached houses collapse
10-maddening: oak trees split – paving crazes – semidetached houses collapse
11-stupefying: sporting events abandoned – terraces collapse – governments collapse
12-cataclysmic: life extinguished – atoms split – quarks quake
Ask those old enough to remember the first generation of commercial jet airliners, say the 707s, before much of the noise was engineered out of the engines. The noise of an airliner today taking off is a baby’s cooing compared to those jets.
Originally penned about 1960 – 1962, but I still have fun with it. Some folks get a kick out of it,
I like it.
You could even update it:
“12-cataclysmic: life extinguished – atoms split, quarks quake.”
This article may be interesting to you folks who either fly a lot or may be pilots. My limited experiences were a combination of danger, fun and education, but I’m afraid my guardian angel may be looking the wrong way the next time.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2297757/FAA-shut-HUNDREDS-control-towers-airports-sequester-meaning-pilots-coordinate-landings-themselves.html
This article may be interesting to you folks who either fly a lot or may be pilots. My limited experiences were a combination of danger, fun and education, but I’m afraid my guardian angel may be looking the wrong way the next time.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2297757/FAA-shut-HUNDREDS-control-towers-airports-sequester-meaning-pilots-coordinate-landings-themselves.html
Really hate it for the team at Donaldson (GYH) tower and others around the country that may loose their jobs. Donaldson is pretty slow though so not surprised. Just hate they blame in on the sequestration.
Really hate it for the team at Donaldson (GYH) tower and others around the country that may loose their jobs. Donaldson is pretty slow though so not surprised. Just hate they blame in on the sequestration.