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First, this is NOT a political anything thread. Please take those questions to the political areas of CD. The purpose of this thread is to educate each other about our airports in ID and which ones are really essential to have functioning at pre-sequestration tower hours and TSA staffing and why. I don't know the answers, only what I think about two airports and questions about others.
Over the weekend I read the article in the Post Register about how and why the Idaho Falls Regional Airport plans to appeal this decision for IFRA. Honestly, the reasons given may not be what many consider when they think of Tower service at a non-Boise airport in ID. The three reasons make solid points to me; however, I thought they forgot two other valid arguments to include.
The three reasons given were:
1. Idaho Falls is the designated drop off for the CDC for any threat protection or additional treatments regional patients may need due to infectious disease or other exposure. (I believe this includes patients from southern MT, western WY and eastern ID, certainly not just Bonneville County).
2. Idaho Falls operates a Medical helicopter and fixed wing plane service 24/7 for the only LEVEL II Trauma Center in the area (This service covers Yellowstone, The Tetons, southern MT, western WY and eastern ID. Not only covering the ~ the 300-350 K residents but all the tourists too.
3. INL. Given all sorts of reasons from Medical Isotopes to on-going security and other work at INL, the IFRA needs be able to retain the tower hours and TSA staffing it currently has.
The two I'd add are:
1. IFRA is the ONLY airport that can land a 747 in eastern ID and western WY. Airforce One always lands at IFRA, not Jackson.
2. EIRMC is the Designated White House Hospital for the area with the next two closest White House Designated Hospitals being the University of Utah in UT and St. Patrick's in Missoula, MT. It is the designated medical facility for all U.S. Gov't and other International Leaders visiting Yellowstone, the Tetons, Jackson or anywhere in the area.
Every airport wants to remain open for commercial operations and the Hailey airport director has been quoted as saying he thinks there will be little change in commercial operations, which SkyWest also seconds regarding Hailey.
I'm not a pilot or expert about anything when it comes to airports. Given that Boise is the state capitol, the city with a Trauma II hospital for southwestern and central ID and other functions, I thinking keeping the Boise Tower and TSA operating as close to normal is important.
I do believe IFRA has solid arguments in their appeal they are filing. For the reasons stated above, I think IFRA should also remain functioning with as few changes as possible.
What about southern ID? Are there any essential roles the airport in Twin Falls supports so it must be open as much? Or would Mtn. Home and Boise be able to absorb emergency/logistic functions for the Twin Falls- Sun Valley area too?
What about Lewiston and the Panhandle? Is it necessary to keep an airport open there or does Spokane cover all the emergency/logistic for the Panhandle?
I look forward to your thoughts as it does make strategic planning a factor in how to best cover the most residents and visitors of Idaho for more than commercial air service when cuts do have to be made.
IF is a regional connecting airport as well. There are several flights going to connecting hubs that end here or leave here into the evening as late as midnight.
Several airlines have recently been experimenting with destination flights up into Canada; many of these flights are becoming part of ski vacation packages, allowing vacationers to ski Sun Valley, Targhee, and Jackson Hole and then Banff, Kicking Horse and other Canadian areas. There are also direct red-eye flights to L.A. and Vegas now.
Another consideration that may have not been studied is the weather and our singular terrain. Big storms affect our air traffic in non-typical ways because weather fronts are broken up by our mountains and plains here. There have been many times when flights were diverted to IF because we were still clear when Salt Lake and Denver was socked in, and since we are the only field that can land a 747, planes that develop problems have made emergency and unscheduled landings here.
IF is the only field in the middle of a big nowhere that has full capabilities; there is a major private aircraft repair facility next door to the airport.
IF is also capable of handling crash landings. There have been several of them recently, all due to landing gear problems. One plane skidded far off the runway, and was here for over a week being repaired here. There is lots of soft dirt around the field and no big rocks or buildings.
While some of these may not be vital national interests, all are contributing to the economy here. I don't like to see any of those airports have to cut back, but I think Boise and IF both need to have people in the towers. There are enough valid reasons for both to keep the towers occupied.
Keep in mind the airport does not close, when the tower is closed. It just becomes a Class E airport, All the navaids remain on.
If the fire department is on duty, they will continue to be on duty. Pilot Self Report there intentions, take off and land after coordinating with other in the air/on the ground around the airport.
ATC TRACON & Centers will be open and staffed. Pilot will file fight plans with Flight Service center, and pick up IFR clearance over the phone.
Keep in mind the airport does not close, when the tower is closed. It just becomes a Class E airport, All the navaids remain on.
If the fire department is on duty, they will continue to be on duty. Pilot Self Report there intentions, take off and land after coordinating with other in the air/on the ground around the airport.
ATC TRACON & Centers will be open and staffed. Pilot will file fight plans with Flight Service center, and pick up IFR clearance over the phone.
Thanks for the specific terminology flyonpa. Yes, I'm aware of an airport remaining open when the tower is closed.
I don't mean this disrespectfully, I simply don't know how many times you've flown in the state and know what other airports to divert to if certain situations occur in ID? Please share more info on how pilots out of the region make those decisions when the best flight plans can be changed by weather etc.
Banjomike raised an excellent point which I also know is correct and didn't even think about it despite this situation occurring again less than two months ago. IFRA is one of the first designated airports for the larger commercial jets to divert too when Salt Lake City if fogged/smogged in.
I'm not worried about pilots unable to perform their duties, I'm asking about matters for safety, health issues or need caused by other regional cities unable to land planes that are running out of fuel etc.
Please add more to help us understand more as states with smaller populations stand to have the most airports cutback tower hrs and TSA staff. Pocatello estimates four jobs would be lost over this even with the limited commercial landings they do. I don't really want this thread to be about the commercial/economic outcomes at any one airport, rather what airports have one or more valid arguments to keep tower service/TSA personnel as they are. I honestly do not know those answers for parts of ID and am hoping more will post.
Boise's FAA Tower's new TRACON is going to handle air traffic in Bozeman. Talk about lending a hand to a neighboring state.
Interesting, Syringaloid. So many questions about that one - what about the other airports a little closer to Boise vs. Bozeman being covered by Boise? Is Butte getting coverage too? I never claimed to understand how airports were assigned coverage, I have zero expertise about this stuff.
Any thoughts about whether Boise and Mtn. Home could cover the needs of southern ID? What about Lewiston/Moscow and further up the Panhandle?
Thanks for sharing the info. Maybe one of the pilots can tell us more of the logic in that decision.
Another consideration that may have not been studied is the weather and our singular terrain. Big storms affect our air traffic in non-typical ways because weather fronts are broken up by our mountains and plains here. There have been many times when flights were diverted to IF because we were still clear when Salt Lake and Denver was socked in, and since we are the only field that can land a 747, planes that develop problems have made emergency and unscheduled landings here.
IF is the only field in the middle of a big nowhere that has full capabilities; there is a major private aircraft repair facility next door to the airport.
IF is also capable of handling crash landings. There have been several of them recently, all due to landing gear problems. One plane skidded far off the runway, and was here for over a week being repaired here. There is lots of soft dirt around the field and no big rocks or buildings.
While some of these may not be vital national interests, all are contributing to the economy here. I don't like to see any of those airports have to cut back, but I think Boise and IF both need to have people in the towers. There are enough valid reasons for both to keep the towers occupied.
Thanks Banjomike for an excellent post. I agree with you about the commercial info, but removed it for reposting purposes as I truly am wondering about airport tower hours and TSA coverage for other reasons.
You've added excellent information I totally forgot. It was THIS WINTER large planes were diverted again to IFRA from SLC. It's one of the first diversion airports when SLC can't land planes.
Like it or not airports in states will have cutbacks. No one wants them - I understand that. I guess part of my question is it seems to me like the larger airports have had the TRACON duties for neighboring states, at least in the Intermountain West (not sure for the Panhandle), and part of me is wondering if this is an opportunity to rethink who handles what. However, with the info Syringaloid shared, I'm absolutely clueless how Bozeman would be assigned to Boise.
Nonetheless, maybe it's time to have a discussion about strategic airports in ID, given the terrain, weather and how large the state is.
The Part 121 (Airlines) will generally Not fly into a airport that does not have a open control tower, the Part 135 (Charters, Regional 'express' ) airlines can and do fly airports regardless of the control tower status.
In a emergency the pilot is going to land at the best choice of airport, tower/no tower/open/not open/military a nice long highway. The emergency radio Freq that pilots use (the 911 of the sky) is monitored 24x7 by every FAA, Military facility. If a pilot need to divert, the X (FAA/Military) can call in ground fire etc to that airport. The FAA Center and/or Tracon will give all pilot weather advice and routing. Med-vac will continue to fly, If there is a regional emergency the FAA will re-staff the control towers. If the CDC need to fly in drugs etc, they most likely will come in by corporate type charter jets. The CDC has access to 2 jets on 3 or 4 hour notice (and more if they need them from the commercial charter company, and the USGov (and DOD) if the need get to that level.
Flight diverting. The airline flight dispatcher know where the plane can divert to, its planned into the flight planning. So if SLC & DEN are closed/under minimums they will land somewhere before they get there. or fly past it and go somewhere else.
I can't understand the Boise-Bozeman link either. I know how the Great Divide affects the weather here, and conditons in the Gallatin valley are often much different on the west side of the divide.
This was brought home once again to me early last December. It was almost 50º on a Sunday when I needed to make a fast trip over to Bozeman. Even though there was only a slight overcast here and with only a slight breeze, I decided to take no chances, and before I left, I had my good winter tires put on the car. By the time I reached Bozeman, the weather was turning bad.
It was dark by the time I finished my business, and I wanted to go over the Bozeman Pass to spend the night with relatives in Livingston, about 30 miles away. By the time I got there, I was in the middle of a ground blizzard; 15º and a 50mph wind and zero visibility.
This is common! That's why I put the tires on in the first place.
I can only imagine how the Boze airport conditions would have been, and I very seriously doubt Boise would have as good traffic control as the locals there. That airport is bounded on 3 sides by mountains, and there is always a complex wind pattern going on there, as it's on a high spot in the valley. Flights out in the winter are often grounded. Travelers often drive over here to catch a critical flight out.
I think the folks who are doing these changes simply don't know much about our weather and other flying challenges. If I was flying, I would be a lot more assured if there were experienced humans in the Bozeman tower.
The TRACON staff are not in the tower, they are either downstairs somewhere or at a site miles away. (For all practical purposes the Center/Tracon people could be anywhere. They look at radars, and computer screens. )
There job is to get the plane that is passed to the from the ATC Center (SLC DEN etc.) and get them lower then pass then to the tower for final clearance. (Or if there is no tower they follow them to the ground). they have access to all the weather system that the tower staff have for the any airport that has AWOS (Automated weather observation system). Pilot can all get the awos from there plane on a specfic radio channel (and most have a phone number you can call into get it that way also) and it online thru the FAA flight briefing systems.
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I never claimed to understand how airports were assigned coverage, I have zero expertise about this stuff.
