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Moving Air-Traffic Control Poses Hazard, Says BLM: Agency Claims Relocation Could 'Adversely Affect' Its Firefighting Efforts

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Joe Estrella, The Idaho Statesman, Boise

May 25--The U.S. Bureau of Land Management says the proposed relocation of part of the Boise Airport's air-traffic control system from Boise Airport to Salt Lake City would pose a hazard to local firefighting efforts.

In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, Tom Dyer, acting director of the BLM Office of Fire and Aviation in Boise, said moving the Terminal Radar Approach Control system, or TRACON, could "adversely affect" federal and local firefighters during the high-risk summer months.

That includes fighting blazes in the nearby Foothills north of Boise, "where high-value residential expansion is occurring," Dyer said.

The National Interagency Fire Center, which coordinates firefighting efforts for various federal agencies, operates a 52-acre base at Boise Airport. It dispatches fire-suppression aircraft and large and single-engine air water tankers.

At takeoff, pilots work closely with TRACON controllers to ensure "expedient and safe flight patterns," Dyer wrote. When returning to the airport, pilots depend on coordination between the TRACON and the tower to avoid local air traffic and ensure safe and quick landings, he said.

"These types of benefits will not be possible if the (TRACON) controllers are moved to Salt Lake City," Dyer wrote.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said no decision has been made on the fate of the Boise TRACON. She defended the agency's decision to relocate similar operations elsewhere.

"People have a vision of controllers being able to physically see an airplane," she said. "But a TRACON is a room without windows, where controllers sit watching radar screens. They don't have to physically be in the same place to do their jobs."

In Boise, however, air-traffic controllers say a firefighting tanker returning to the airport will suddenly appear on their radar screens as it clears the Foothills to the north, making quick coordination between the tower and the TRACON essential.

"It's absolutely critical," said BLM spokesman Randy Eardley. "Without that coordination, there's a hazard to those pilots, other pilots in the area and to the public."

Another concern raised by local controllers is a possible loss of efficiency at the airport that could result in delays for commercial aircraft. That could translate into higher ticket prices for consumers, they say.

The TRACON is part of the three-tiered U.S. air traffic control system. It ensures that departing planes are on course and at a safe altitude, and that arriving traffic is properly positioned to land.

The FAA wants to shift the Boise TRACON to Salt Lake City to shave $5 million off the $22 million cost of a planned new tower. However, it has run into opposition, from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and members of the Idaho congressional delegation.

Brown said a tentative date of July 6 has been set for a public forum in Boise where FAA officials will address concerns about the agency's plans.

Lindsay Nothern, aide to Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, said having the meeting during the July 4 recess could make it possible for all four members of the delegation to be there and voice their safety concerns.

A location for the meeting has not been determined, Nothern said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Idaho Statesman, Boise

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Source: The Idaho Statesman, Boise

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