Marty, you can't just tell part of a story because that part supports or suits your view or opinion. You invited it, so allow me to correct you with the full factual story. Reagan had at the ready military controllers to replace them and when he fired the PATCO guys, he IMMEDIATELY inserted them into the system. There was no pause, no hesitation so therefore no sudden surge in accidents.Originally Posted by martymayes
Working on the job I have caught time and time again aircraft going out for departure with pitot covers on, engine covers on, lights out during a night flight, a tow bar still installed, and gear not extended. I don't bring these events up to bash a pilot, I bring it up to provide an example where an extra set of eyes backed a pilot up. We have had people with no radio enter the pattern, emergency landings where we had to change runways, and the list could go on and on. The point is that there was a level of safety there. I am not sure how anyone can not see how it is safer. On top of that many businesses will not operate into a field with no tower, and more will not base there for that reason.
I just love hearing anecdotal stuff like this from a guy who's actually been there and is in a professional position to say how it really is and not how it might or would or should be without controllers. I'm with you Chris, of course you guys make it safer.
Really?...pitot covers, engine covers, attached towbars!!!, really? Holy s**t that's unbelievable and scary. Can you imagine how those cavalier pilots conduct their lives outside of aviation?
Are you saying there was no change in the number of controllers?
In relative terms, the number being cut now can dance together on the head of a pin.
Can you quantify how much safer it is with controllers?
I currently fly in/out of 2 class D airports on a regular basis. One is scheduled for closure (contract tower) whereas the other is not. I don't have the numbers, but I would say their traffic counts are pretty close. Monday - Friday, during peak hour, both are fairly busy. Saturday/SUnday - both are fairly quiet. As you can probably guess, most of the Monday - Friday traffic is corporate jets enabling a stronger business communitie. I, on the other hand, fly an old, slow, fat twin (Apache).
Numerous times I have been 3 - 5 miles out talking to the tower and I have been vectored out of the way of the Phonm 8 - 10 miles out. Somebody dispute this if you have had different experieices, but it seems to me - Always, always, always - faster corporate traffic is given priority over the smaller, slower part 91 aircraft. A few weeks ago I was sent around 3 times! Guess what is going to happen when the tower closes - I say with a grin. Guess who is going to have to slow down, look out the window, and fit in with us slow pokes. I understand why the corporate guys hate the tower closures and I understand their safety concerns. But from the perspective of a guy whose final approach speed is under 100kts - tower closures - so what.
Don't change the subject of your prior post. I just said what you conveniently neglected to say or didn't know.
Can you quantify how safe it would be without controllers?
i wasn't the one making the claim that towers are safer.
However, there are plenty of airports that operate without control towers. Having a control tower does not completely eliminate accidents. How does the accident rate compare between airports with towers and airports without? At what level of traffic does a tower improve safety? Is there an appreciable difference between towered and non-towered accident rates below that level? What would be the difference in accident rates be if we put a tower at every airport?
Last edited by FloridaJohn; 03-21-2013 at 05:31 PM.
Not changing the subject and I'm not the one dragging anecdotal "facts" into the discussion. When PATCO was canned, 10,000+ controllers were off the job overnight and flying did not suddenly become dangerous.
The closure of ~200 ATCT's in this country won't even be noticed. Cut the gloom and doom, you're sounding like a mainstream press release.
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