With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
FAA delays closures of air traffic control towers at small airports
Listen
• 0:55
The air traffic control tower at Hawthorne Municipal Airport was among about 200 towers on a list for closure but was not on the final list. The tower at Fullerton's airport was slated for closure April 7, before the FAA delayed the closures.
(
Mae Ryan/KPCC
)
The Federal Aviation Administration has delayed the closure of 149 air traffic control towers at smaller airports until mid-June. That’s temporary relief for 11 towers in California.
The tower closures—due to sequestration—were scheduled to begin in phases on Sunday, April 7. The closure list included towers at airports in Oxnard, Pacoima and Fullerton.
"We realize that it's a temporary reprieve unless something in Washington changes," says Jim Gandee, president of the Fullerton Airport Pilots Association.
Gandee says the Fullerton tower is important to the helicopters of the California Highway Patrol, the Orange County Fire Department and to the Mercy Air medical transport service.
"When they are responding on an emergency, it’s best that they have priority departure and that can only be assured with the tower," says Gandee. "Without the tower, they have no choice but to fit in the normal traffic."
Support for LAist comes from
The FAA delayed the tower closures to deal with legal challenges and to give local airport authorities time to work out funding the towers on their own. Three days before the FAA’s announcement, the Fullerton City Council approved $50,000 to keep its airport tower open for at least a month.
Gandee, a flight instructor for 25 years, says his organization and others continue to prepare for the worst-case scenario: that the FAA will procede with tower closures on June 15.
His organization is holding seminars to explain to pilots how to fly safely through airspace that isn't controlled by a tower. Gandee says about a hundred people attended the seminar on Sunday, the day the tower at Fullerton's airport was originally scheduled to close.
The next seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. at the Fullerton Municipal Airport.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.” -
While working for the county, the DA’s office alleges that 13 employees fraudulently filed for unemployment, claiming to earn less than $600 a week.
Best of LAist