Control Tower at Ramona Air Attack Base due to close

Ramona Air Attack Base

I have been been aware that many air traffic control towers (ATC) at smaller airports in the U.S. are due to close because of the sequester. For example, at least two towers in northern New Jersey are due to close, see this article on NJ dot com. I was distressed when I read an article on Michael Archer's Firebombers Publications Blog this past Wednesday (March 13) from News 7 in San Diego that the air traffic control tower at CAL Fire's Ramona Air Attack Base. Another article on the pending closure of the Ramona ATC tower may be found here.

I have included a couple of photos that I took at Ramona Air Attack Base when I visited Ramona Air Attack Base early in the Summer of 2012 Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the affected air traffic control tower.

I want all pilots, including pilots flying aerial wildland firefighting aircraft, to be safe. I was very interested to read that Walt Darran, chairman of the Safety Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Associated Aerial Firefighters has submitted a comment to the FAA urging the FAA to take the ATC at Ramona off their closure list and to keep the ATC operational. Walt writes of two mid-air collisions at Ramona, one as recently as 1995. Both mid-airs happened before the ATC was open. Walt says in part:

Maintaining an operational FAA control tower at Ramona is essential not only for the safety of pilots and aircraft, but also to maintain an orderly and efficient flow of aerial firefighting aircraft to protect lives and property subject to wildfires in the surrounding area.

I hope you take a few moments to read Walt's comment to the FAA that may be found here.