New Phoenix control tower coming 'just in time' By Judy Nichols, The Arizona Republic "A year ago, we were surpassing LA once or twice a month. Now its once, twice or three times a week," said Gus Nezer, Phoenix hub manager for the Federal Aviation Administration. To handle the spike in air traffic and a growing number of runways and hard-to-see taxiways, construction began Monday on a $54 million control tower. The new facility, expected to have a life span of about 25 years, also would manage any increased traffic created by a planned fourth runway years in the future. The tower will be a new landmark for the Valley's skyline. At 335 feet, it will be almost twice the height of the current structure, built 25 years ago. The height will allow an unobstructed view of airplanes on the ground, views that are now partially hidden by terminals and parking garages. The tower comes "just in time" to ensure passenger safety and provide for growth, Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza said Monday. "Any later would put the flying public at risk." Airport traffic is measured two ways: number of passengers, and takeoffs and landings. Los Angeles has more passenger traffic, but Sky Harbor is regularly outpacing it in takeoffs and landings, Nezer said. On its busiest days, often Thursdays, Arizona's urban airport has about 1,800 takeoffs and landings, slightly more than the country's third-busiest airport in California. "That demand deserves state of the art," said William Withycombe, Western-Pacific regional administrator for the FAA. The project also includes a new Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON, facility, which will have the latest radar and weather technology, making Sky Harbor the most up-to-date airport in the country, according to the FAA. "The FAA is finally recognizing that the airport is critical for the entire country," Rimsza said. Rimsza credited Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., with ensuring Phoenix got the necessary federal funding. Pastor was first invited to visit the old tower five years ago. "I saw people having a hard time following the planes on the crossing bridges," Pastor said. "They were losing them. They could only see the tops of their tails, not the markings." Pastor said he knew new gates or terminals would be impossible without a new tower, a restriction that other airports across the country are facing. Mike Isaacs, the lead program engineer, said the tower would open with 20 scopes, or screens to track planes, and have a capacity for 36. The current tower has 13. The new technology is more easily modified and updated and communicates more easily with other towers. Withycombe said he expects continued growth as the airline industry recovers from the downturn after Sept. 11, 2001. "We know aviation will recover and passenger flight service will grow," Withycombe said. "With the new runway Sky Harbor added, the new control tower and TRACON helping the airport operate more efficiently, Phoenix will be ready for the challenge." *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.cso.gov.tt TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************