Holiday traffic on the roads is ridiculous.  Holiday traffic in the air is eccentric.  Holiday traffic at the airport is ludicrous!
Year after year, the volume of airline travelers and aircraft increase, so with a system that is pushed to its capacity, with one hiccup, delays will start snowballing and cancellations will be inevitable.
For the lucky ones that get to […]

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As you have probably heard, an air traffic controller’s job can be stressful at times.  As the volume of traffic increases and the complexity of certain configurations gets more challenging, stress levels can be subdued, but noticeably present.  Throw an emergency in the mix and plan A, B, and C can quickly turn into plan L, M, […]

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Staffing in federal air traffic control towers and other facilities has been a growing issue for many years. Last year, we received our first brand new controller since November of 2001. We will have another new FAA hire arriving this week, as well as a fresh face from the FAA Academy arriving in January 2008. […]

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The 94th Aero Squadron at Chicago Executive Airport is grounded for life. Over the past 30 years, this 1917 french farmhouse style restaurant, seemed to be a high-flyer when it came to packing in the customers.
The past year however, it appeared that the attraction had fizzled and there were rarely any cars in the parking […]

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It isn’t the best picture in the world, but you can faintly see the newly installed Christmas lights around the base of the catwalk. The camera I’m using doesn’t take very good night-pictures, so it is a little blurry. They definitely look a lot better in person.
It is so cold right now, the icicles style […]

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Snow causes delays in almost every facet pertaining to time…unless you are Clark W. Griswold, sledding down a snow-covered hill in the movie, “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.”  In that case, snow helps. It obviously causes delays in the National Airspace System, but more importantly, it is holding up my holiday tower lighting display.
I went to […]

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Being new to website building and finally having an internet presence, I find myself paying a whole lot more attention to not only the content of individual websites, but also to the layout and design. It’s obvious right away when a web page is appealing and user friendly. Those are the ones I find myself […]

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Daily operations at the Chicago Executive Tower (PWK) are never the same, meaning there is always something different to keep our attention peaked and on our toes. There are days when air traffic controllers must work their hardest using their working-speed skills to keep the volume of aircraft safe while preventing too many delays. While […]

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Maybe some of you have noticed that our Position and Hold (TIPH) procedures have changed this year, or maybe you just think we are weird.
The changes to these procedures affect when we are able to use TIPH. The changes also affect how and when we issue traffic advisories for aircraft holding in position on the […]

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The timing of this was great! It seems a little dated, but entertaining non the less.
click here to see video
This isn’t the first I’ve heard of this stunt. When I was at the FAA Academy, an instructor told us about a similar incident he was involved in. The scenario he described was an argument on […]

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