Local Controllers Matter

In the newspaper coverage of the discussion about splitting Toledo and relocating the Approach Control to Cleveland, a website named LocalAirportsMatter.com was mentioned.

It’s a pleasure to see that there’s attention on this issue.

The site makes the argument that local knowledge is essential, and that resident controllers know more about the local area than a remote controller could possibly know.

This is an excellent site and it takes an effective position.

In my own perspective, I’d go further: besides the loss of local knowledge, splitting the facility and remoting the Approach is only the first step. The second step is contracting out the tower because of staffing and budget. The third step is replacing the contract tower with a sensor package and a virtual tower (aka a Staffed NextGenTower) at a remote site.

They’re not just remoting the Approach Control – they’re setting the stage for remoting the Tower operation to a (windowless) offsite phone center, that might be staffed or automated depending on traffic and staffing.

There’s enough information in Google to document their intention beyond a reasonable doubt.