On The List Of Control Towers In Jeopardy Due To Sequestration

Groton-New London Airport (KGON) in Connecticut is one of the 173 facilities with towers slated to be closed April 7 unless congress and President Obama solve their budget stalemate, and the air traffic control manager there says it will make that and other airports far less safe.

Chet Moore told the The Day newspaper in Connecticut that controllers working the tower at KGON are employed by Mid-West Air Traffic Control, Inc. The private company will be forced to lay off hundreds of air traffic controllers nationwide if the sequestration is fully implemented in two weeks. Other towers to be closed in CT include Sikorsky Memorial and Hartford-Brainard. Moore said KGON is unique in the state because of the mix of traffic it handles, ranging from Connecticut National Guard helicopters to flight schools and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Group.

Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) wrote a letter to FAA administrator Michael Huerta last week saying that the contract towers are a "cost-effective and certified alternative to FAA-operated towers."

In the letter, Courtney said "If these towers are closed, the safety and efficiency of our airspace could be compromised as already short-staffed FAA facilities are left to fill the gap. Cutting a program that plays such an essential role in air safety is counterproductive and potentially dangerous."

One flight instructor in the area, Terry Keller Jr., who flies out of Hartford-Brainard Airport, has created an online petition in an effort to collect 100,000 electronic signatures by April 4 that he hopes to send to the White House.

FMI: www.atctower.com