Students and Instructors tour KALB Air Traffic Control Tower
Earlier this month a group of Hewison students and instructors had the opportunity to tour the air traffic control facilities at Albany International Airport. We interviewed Hewison instructor Alex Evans who organized the tour and got an in-depth look at the operations inside an air traffic control facility.
TRACON and Tower Tours
Outside photography is not allowed inside the operating facilities for safety and privacy reasons, so Dan (the facility manager at KALB) says if one wants to see inside they should come take a tour. He is always happy to educate the interested about air traffic. At KALB there are two main facilities: Albany Tower that handles aircraft on the ground at the airport and the final approaches into the airport, and TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) a building at ground level that handles traffic in the greater KALB airspace– from Kingston to Glens Falls.
The group was shown the inside of both TRACON and the Tower. In the TRACON facility, Alex and the group were introduced to the equipment and processes of ATC, and how the controllers direct traffic in the greater Albany airspace. “We have up to three radar scopes available to manage traffic in the airspace, though the last time we used all three was during the solar eclipse.” said Dan to our tour group, “We are still very busy in this airspace.”
Dan’s advice for pilots is threefold: 1. Listen to chatter before calling TRACON to make sure you aren’t interrupting instructions being given to another aircraft. 2. When you make the initial call, keep it short. Just “Albany Approach, [your tail number], VFR request,” and wait for a call back. Even if the frequency doesn’t sound busy the controllers are often on the phone or talking to their supervisor about other traffic and need to ensure good prioritization of tasks. 3. Pilots can make requests in plain English. The controllers are very familiar with the local airports and don’t need “Kilo-Alpha-Lima-Bravo” unless you are requesting an airport not in Albany’s vicinity.
In the Tower, Alex and the group got a panoramic view of the airport and met the controller who work to keep traffic separated in and around it. “Many of our controllers are on the younger side, they train here at Albany before moving on to warmer climates or busier facilities. After their initial training at OKC, we start them here at the ground and tower control stations. KALB has a relatively low workload [referring to local and ground traffic]. TRACON is much busier with the number of requests they deal with.”
Presentation on ATC Safety
The tour group was also given an in-depth presentation in the conference room where they were permitted to ask questions and discuss topics of air traffic safety. Dan highlighted some areas of particular importance to pilots. “First of all, don’t be afraid to declare an emergency. When a pilot declares an emergency it allows their controller to hand off all of their other traffic and clear the area for the aircraft in distress. It allows us to focus on your safety and allows you to focus on flying the plane. Plus, our firefighting teams love the practice, even from false alarms.”
He also urges student pilots on their solos to let them know to ask for help. “Controllers sometimes have the bad habit of trying to rush pilots to takeoff or land but I work towards a culture of patience and safety. We will give you the wiggle room you need if you ask for it.” His further advice for students is not to be afraid to explain what you need in plain English over the radio. ATC jargon can be confusing and strenuous and the controllers would prefer to take a little extra time to add a little extra safety.
Dan also highlighted his philosophy about error correction. Whether it is the warnings his controllers give to pilots or if there is an error made by a controller Dan says he would prefer for there to be a civil discussion about the error. His office phone is always available for a pilot or a controller to talk about what went wrong and what can be learned from the experience.
Contact Us
If you would like to set up your own tour of KALB tower you can call Dan himself at 518-242-2352 or contact him online at www.albanyairport.com. If this has sparked your interest and you want to learn how to fly an introductory flight is the way to start.
Daniel Foster