What’s really behind those FAA tower closures?

Hot Air.com ^ | March 23, 2013 | JAZZ SHAW

[FlingWingFlyer]

Barry the Sequesterer’s fault.

[anoldafvet]

Like the memo said: “Cancel or suspend the things that will cause the public the most pain”.

[bgill]

Ground Biden and hussein from flying for a week and we should be able to save that much.

[CMailBag]

Spiteful little weasel.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Worcester is the biggest airport in Massachusetts to lose its ATC tower. Last year, I brought my grandson out there to watch departures and landings. The place is ghost town. Last year it handled about 20,000 passengers, vs. 13,000,000 at Logan. That’s fewer than 60 per day.

The pilots coordinate runway usage over the radio. Except for cowboys who don’t monitor and use the radio, it should never be a problem. Most small airports don’t have any control towers. Flight plans, if used at all, are filed by dropping them in a mail slot.

[Gabrial]

Closing the White House to public tours (even though it is exempt from the sequestration) does not increase the odds that Americans will die, so it is not enough for Obama.

He is looking for areas that will cause the most pain and suffering, just like releasing the criminal illegal aliens. The illegal criminal aliens are not doing enough damage fast enough, so Soetoro is upping his game.

[nevergore]

As a pilot, I really don’t care.... It has relatively little impact... For example, RYY (Cobb County Airport) has a tower that only has radio and is open limited hours.... It is more of an annoyance than a help... ..
After hours, all the pilots coordinate with each other (at night).
This will now just extend to daylight hours.....
Fire them and save the money...

[MulberryDraw]

That’s about a 1% cut. I saw a lot of cuts while working in the private sector. I can’t remember any of them being only 1%.

[Chode]

the Peoples Democratic Republic of Ithaca EVIL just got told their tower was closing since it has less than 10,000 arrivals/departures per year, that's basically 14 flights a day... most/all of which will be picked up by Elmira/Corning

[Mr. Jeeves]

It’s too dangerous for politicians if citizens are allowed to own guns. Or fly airplanes. Or drive cars...

[Vaduz]

Another notch on Obama’s fail poll.

[mountainlion]

I think this is at least two fold. This was designed to make the GOP look like the bad guys and raise taxes. Number 2 the faa unions will be able to save the towers and stop the layoffs of Air Traffic Controllers and gain much support and power in the FAA.

[I want the USA back]

It’s to cause the most pain, while leaving the ruling elite alone.

[The Sons of Liberty]

I wonder how many crashes and casualties it will take before the public has had enough of Barry’s shenanigans?

[MHGinTN]

No, little barry bastard boy’s regime has its head up the unions’ ass. ALL the workers in the towers to be closed are non-union. Not one union run tower will be closed. If little barry bastard boy was not black and a democrip, he would be up on RICO charges already.

[oldironsides]

Worcester was always a place to watch air traffic. High on a hill on a summer night away from the city heat while eating an ice cream cone was a treat. My parents took us there once in a while. I took my own little one there to see the Goodyear Blimp. I flew in and out out of Worcester
back in the day. I don’t know why the airport never did succeed. It is a gem. I don’t like using Logan. I can also remember learning to drive in St Johns Cemetery. My dad always said we cannot hurt anyone there. LOL

[Senator_Blutarski]

That’s about a 1% cut.

A 1.13% cut is like a John Kerry Viet Nam boo-boo, and the FAA is asking for a Purple Heart.

But the average public school graduate doesn't know that because they can't do the math.

The Democrats and Bureaucrats depend on the stupidity and ignorance of the average voter. Sadly, that appears to be a winning formula.

[BatGuano]

This is simply a spiteful move by the supposed leader of our country. The only people who are really hurt is those private contract, non-union, folks who now lose their job.
Pilots will have to be more vigilant now, but we can do without.

“Cowboys” are few in the aviation community. Most incidents come from those who are not current with what is going on and stumble through restricted airspace and fail to read NOTAMS, “notices to airmen”.

Mail slot for flight plans? Who picks up the mail? I just call my local Flight Service Station and file with them.

[Alex Murphy]

When you scan down the list of closures, these are all towers which are managed and staffed by private contractors. Not one of them is staffed up by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union. That’s something of a remarkable coincidence, isn’t it?

Obama - the Anti-Reagan.