11°c A few clouds
18°c Sunny
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
5 small Ore. airports on FAA list for potential tower closings under automatic budget cuts
GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Five small airports in Oregon are on the Federal Aviation Administration list for potential control tower closings under the automatic budget cuts that took effect March 1.
The FAA says they are among 238 small airports under consideration nationwide with low traffic volumes and control towers operated by contractors.
The FAA is to make a decision by March 18 on closing about 170 of them. A letter to airport managers from FAA officials said the decision would be based solely on the national interest, and will not take into account local community impacts.
The Oregon airports are in Klamath Falls, North Bend, Pendleton, Salem and Troutdale.
If the towers close, the FAA says the airports will remain open. But pilots would be responsible for their own safety by talking to each other, instead of the tower.
The FAA has to cut $600 million under the automatic budget cuts. Other savings will come from furloughing FAA employees and other actions.
Klamath Falls Airport Director John Longley said he hoped to keep their tower open because commercial and private planes share the single runway with high-performance Oregon Air National Guard F-15C fighter jets based at Kingsley Field. The tower is operated by military and civilian personnel in the 270th Air Traffic Control squadron.
"Forty-five per cent of all our operations are military aircraft," Longley said. "We are this sort of unique creature, a military-civilkian air field.
The airport has about 37,000 takeoffs and landings a year. United Airlines has four flights a day out of Klamath Falls, but three of them take off or land when the tower is closed, Longley said.
The mix of civilian and military aircraft is complicated in summer, when air tankers fly in and out with fire retardant, he added.
More Travel
- Back to Top
- Return to Travel
More Travel
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Family not giving up finding Toronto-area man in snowy mountains of Australia
05/21/2013 8:00 PM 0OTTAWA - Family members joined a frantic search Tuesday for a Canadian man with survival training missing for more than ...
Poll
Most Popular Travel
- Universal Orlando raises ticket prices; 1-day, 1-park pass is $92
- Saudi man jailed after pressure cooker found in bags at Detroit Metro Airport seeks bond
- B.C. mining museum features underground train ride, gold panning family fun
- These beaches have gone to the dogs; lucky pooches lap up the shoreline where they run free
- Brady Bunch kids to mark 40th anniversary popular episode shot at Kings Island
- Galveston's rising tide
- Family not giving up finding Toronto-area man in snowy mountains of Australia
- Eruption of Alaska volcano prompts cancellations of some area commuter, cargo flights
- Dive into your love affair with Belize
- Brown v. Board site to display black doll from race studies to mark ruling's 59th anniversary
- Brady Bunch kids to mark 40th anniversary popular episode shot at Kings Island
- Eruption of Alaska volcano prompts cancellations of some area commuter, cargo flights
- Saudi man jailed after pressure cooker found in bags at Detroit Metro Airport seeks bond
- Man breaks world record by riding Ferris wheel at Chicago's Navy Pier for more than 48 hours
- Chefs serve fine food, wine at Fenway Park to raise money for Boston Marathon bombing victims
- Drug offences, kidnap coverage concerning
- Breakaway is a beauty
- 5 free things in South Dakota's Black Hills, from historic towns to famous monuments
- Galveston's rising tide
- 200 re-enactors present pageant Memorial weekend at Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City
- Nephew says arrest of Saudi uncle with pressure cooker at Detroit airport was misunderstanding
- Brady Bunch kids to mark 40th anniversary popular episode shot at Kings Island
- Eruption of Alaska volcano prompts cancellations of some area commuter, cargo flights
- Saudi man jailed after pressure cooker found in bags at Detroit Metro Airport seeks bond
- Trailer-park temptations
- Vacation in Iceland? Why not?
- Man breaks world record by riding Ferris wheel at Chicago's Navy Pier for more than 48 hours
- Minnesota Bound
- Chefs serve fine food, wine at Fenway Park to raise money for Boston Marathon bombing victims
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after ship sinks near St. Lucia
- B.C. mining museum features underground train ride, gold panning family fun
- Brown v. Board site to display black doll from race studies to mark ruling's 59th anniversary
- Scenic Tours has unique take on river cruises
- B.C. mining museum features underground train ride, gold panning family fun
- Dive into your love affair with Belize
- Brown v. Board site to display black doll from race studies to mark ruling's 59th anniversary
- The true Cuba
- Scenic Tours has unique take on river cruises
- Brady Bunch kids to mark 40th anniversary popular episode shot at Kings Island
- ASK JOURNEYS: Don't mess with Air Canada's check-in times
- A big helping of Bellingham
- Vacation in Iceland? Why not?
- Dive into your love affair with Belize
- B.C. mining museum features underground train ride, gold panning family fun
- Air Canada's new check-in deadline: 45 minutes before domestic departures
- Buenos Aires' endless nights
- Japan's Mount Fuji poised to be recognized as World Heritage site
- Small batches, big flavour
- NEEPAWA: Lily Capital of the World; home of literary legend
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.