About That ATC Privatization Idea

Kinja'd!!! "Jcarr" (jcarr)
06/05/2017 at 20:48 • Filed to: Planelopnik

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Doesn’t look too popular in the GA community.

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DISCUSSION (14)


Kinja'd!!! WilliamsSW > Jcarr
06/05/2017 at 20:54

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I’ve been a member of AOPA for 16 years. They’ve been fighting this since long before I joined—


Kinja'd!!! Jcarr > WilliamsSW
06/05/2017 at 21:00

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EAA has been fighting against user fees for quite some time, if I recall.


Kinja'd!!! WilliamsSW > Jcarr
06/05/2017 at 21:02

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Yep, I’m a member of that one, too.

These groups have been working together on it—


Kinja'd!!! Jcarr > WilliamsSW
06/05/2017 at 21:03

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Going to Oshkosh this year?


Kinja'd!!! WilliamsSW > Jcarr
06/05/2017 at 21:07

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Yes, but will be a short trip. We have a 9 month old, he’s a bit too young to enjoy it yet.


Kinja'd!!! WilliamsSW > Jcarr
06/05/2017 at 21:14

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Are you going for the whole week?


Kinja'd!!! Jcarr > WilliamsSW
06/05/2017 at 21:23

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My brother in law and I usually head up Friday and stay until Sunday. My dad and uncle are going up mid week ahead of us. My son is 3. I’m thinking I’ll take him when he’s 7 or so. That was about how old I was my first time.


Kinja'd!!! LongbowMkII > Jcarr
06/05/2017 at 21:34

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Of course it isn’t. Frankly, I assume many small airports couldn’t afford to stay open.


Kinja'd!!! WilliamsSW > Jcarr
06/05/2017 at 21:54

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Nice- I usually go during the week, the crowds are lighter.

For what it’s worth, we first took my nephew at 3 or 4 and he loved it. Had a great time. Granted, he was asleep in the stroller for quite a while later in the afternoon, but he talked about it for weeks after—


Kinja'd!!! Frenchlicker > Jcarr
06/05/2017 at 22:05

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Nothing can go wrong with the idea. Why ever would somebody not like it? Privatization worked with prisons why wouldn’t it work with ATC?


Kinja'd!!! Jcarr > Frenchlicker
06/05/2017 at 22:25

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Privatization works for some things. This is not one of those things.


Kinja'd!!! Frenchlicker > Jcarr
06/05/2017 at 22:54

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Something’s it can yes. I agree this is definitely not one of those things and I can guess those setting it up would do an abysmal job.


Kinja'd!!! For Sweden > LongbowMkII
06/06/2017 at 01:24

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Smaller airports already used privatized ATC, in the form of contact towers. Those towers work for the FAA, not for some company of ambiguous ownership, so it works pretty well.


Kinja'd!!! polarbexer > For Sweden
06/06/2017 at 22:57

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Ehh, it works but only if you don’t have an airport trying to get more users. I used to work at one of those contract towers, and you generally have one person in the tower. Six maybe Seven total to man it for the time the tower is open. Some places where I worked like MFE or BRO were 6 am to Midnight, TYR was only 6-10. Say you have a pattern full of aircraft expecting good service and you are by yourself after eating a questionable borrito or something worse, you can be in a world of hurt.

Plus why on earth would you GIVE a private company Billions of dollars of ATC equipment that the taxpayers have already spent money on. Sure the going joke is how antiquated it all is, but it still freaking works and delays as of late have to do with weather and airlines not having enough gates. How does privitazation help that. It won’t and it will kill GA. Do you think a private company will care about regulation UAS stuff either? Oh the time and energy we have spent because some guy wants to start a business using a drone and gets upset because hes told no, because he wants to fly right on final for our main runways at the regional airport and where B-52's like to do practice approaches. ( sorry rant over )