Airport
and control tower tours
Interest
in aviation seemed to surge this past week with tours of the airport control
tower at Santa Barbara and of the airport in Santa Ynez. Two groups, the local chapter of the
Experimental Aircraft Association and the Ballard School 4th grade class with
teacher Mandy Young enjoyed two separate tours of these aviation facilities.
Chapter
491 of the Experimental Aircraft Association was provided a tour of control
tower operations by Air Traffic Control Specialists Mark Beard and William
O’Connell. After an introduction by Air
Traffic Manager Mark Tellier, the group was escorted
into the simulator room, where radar air traffic control procedures were
explained, using radar displays that show the real time activities in the
airspace controlled by Santa Barbara Approach.
These
large radar screens allowed air traffic controllers to see all the air traffic
in sectors they have selected. Options
selectable by the controller allow filters to exclude aircraft flying above
Santa Barbara Approach’s ceiling of 8,000 feet, decreasing the clutter of
multiple targets on the screen. The
screen additionally depicts approach corridors to the area’s airports,
restricted airspace at Vandenberg Air Force Base, and the shoreline and Channel
Islands. Data blocs next to the symbols
that represent each aircraft indicate the identifier or flight number for the
aircraft, the altitude at which it is flying, the groundspeed, and other
important information for the controller.
After
visiting the simulator room and being instructed in the mysteries of the area’s
air traffic control system, the group was escorted into the actual facility, a
darkened room where controllers manned the radar screens and managed the air
traffic in the area. During this time,
Radar Controller Trainee David Amiel was briefing
Controller Lisa Hogan on the status of aircraft he was handling as he was
turning over his duties at the station.
The
tour included a visit to the more recognizable section of the control tower;
the cab, as it is called, 110 feet above ground level and encased in tinted
glass, provides controllers an unobstructed view of the runways and taxiways at
Santa Barbara Airport. Controller Ryan McFerran provided local control for the active runways,
David Clegg was the ground controller assisting aircraft on the taxiways, and
Clayton Jones provided clearance delivery to pilots preparing to depart the
airport.
Three
aircraft from Santa Ynez were graciously provided ramp parking by the General
Manager for Signature Flight Support, Devin Madgett. Signature additionally provided
transportation for the group through the security gates to the control tower.
The
tour was organized by local flight instructor John Fisher and nine members of
the EAA chapter joined in the tour.
Ballard School 4th Graders
Tour Santa Ynez Airport
Another
tour was conducted of Santa Ynez Airport by Mandy Young’s 4th grade class from
Ballard School. Accompanied by aides
John Carey and Hanna Valdez, the class of 18 students was escorted on the ramp
by airport Operations Manager Keegan Bailey. Bailey described the various
aircraft parked on the ramp and helped the students better understand the value
and function of the local general aviation airport.