Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thousands of out-of-staters are expected to fly in and out of the Raleigh County Memorial Airport this summer, and with all that traffic envisioned, the timing seems perfect to give the virtual tower concept a trial run.
That was the consensus Tuesday of Airport Manager Tom Cochran and the scientist behind the idea, Dr. David Byers, senior development professional for Quadrex Aviation LLC, based in Melbourne, Fla.
Unless rain spoils the plan, the test will be conducted July 17-18 during the Boy Scouts Jamboree in nearby Fayette County.
“That will generate a lot of activity, both from the aviation perspective, but it also is going to bring a lot of people into town, people that we could provide a demonstration of what it is we can do and get some feedback as well,” Byers explained during a Tuesday briefing at the airport.
Depending on how the test goes, Cochran said positive results could provide some extra leverage in getting money from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Across the industry, attention is focused on the Beckley airport as it demonstrates the off-the-shelf hardware that employs S- and X-band radar and its ability to advise aircraft using the facility.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
