The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility.
I don’t have numbers, but there are tons of tiny regional airports. The kind that have only a handful of flights a day. But they all still need ATC right. I bet you can halve the need by just shutting those down. A small number of people will have to drive further to catch a flight.
There are small, untowered airports, but they usually aren’t equipped for large jets, or for IFR landings (“instrument flight rules,” which is when the pilot relies on instrumentation instead of visually looking outside, such as during inclement weather.)
Small planes depending on VFR (visual flight rules) can probably plan flights to avoid towered airports. But the big commercial flights will be in trouble.
Jets can fly VFR as well, if needed, in towered airspace. There are a reason jets fly IFR nearly all the time, but if the choice is between the flight not happening, and landing VFR, they’ll choose the VFR landing any time weather permits. You’re just going to end up with a lot more delayed or diverted flights
The ones I am talking about have small jets or those turboprop planes for commercial service. And of course private small planes. I’ve seen a tower, but I guess it could be empty.
I wasn’t suggesting it would be permanent. But it would reduce the need temporarily so that maybe the military atc could cover while they train new people. At least the government might see it that way. They don’t care much about the long term anyway.
It’d almost have to be the opposite. Military ATC aren’t used to dealing with the same kind of traffic levels as civilian ATC. Even Chicago Midway might be pushing it.
I don’t have numbers, but there are tons of tiny regional airports. The kind that have only a handful of flights a day. But they all still need ATC right. I bet you can halve the need by just shutting those down. A small number of people will have to drive further to catch a flight.
There are small, untowered airports, but they usually aren’t equipped for large jets, or for IFR landings (“instrument flight rules,” which is when the pilot relies on instrumentation instead of visually looking outside, such as during inclement weather.)
Small planes depending on VFR (visual flight rules) can probably plan flights to avoid towered airports. But the big commercial flights will be in trouble.
Jets can fly VFR as well, if needed, in towered airspace. There are a reason jets fly IFR nearly all the time, but if the choice is between the flight not happening, and landing VFR, they’ll choose the VFR landing any time weather permits. You’re just going to end up with a lot more delayed or diverted flights
The ones I am talking about have small jets or those turboprop planes for commercial service. And of course private small planes. I’ve seen a tower, but I guess it could be empty.
Those small airports play a critical role in the training of pilots. Without them, you strangle the pipeline for new pilots
I wasn’t suggesting it would be permanent. But it would reduce the need temporarily so that maybe the military atc could cover while they train new people. At least the government might see it that way. They don’t care much about the long term anyway.
It’d almost have to be the opposite. Military ATC aren’t used to dealing with the same kind of traffic levels as civilian ATC. Even Chicago Midway might be pushing it.