In memoriam… Luckily, this subject can be kept short. Our tower is only 25 years old so most of us have not yet had the time to get old… Unexpected tragedies have also mercifully spared the tower crew with the only exception being KG, who left us prematurely. But he made his name originally as… Continue reading The tower with a soul… 3
Tag: Ferihegy
The tower with a soul… 2
Envy and other incomprehensible things We were off to a turbulent start when the “old-timers” discovered that our starting salaries were the same as the salary of a controller after one year… we were certainly not to blame for this disparity but took all the flack nevertheless. Some of the more senior colleagues from the… Continue reading The tower with a soul… 2
The tower with a soul… 1
Preface Having held an Aerodrome Control rating in my ATC license and having actually worked as an aerodrome controller, I have this “thing” for the most spectacular air traffic services unit of them all, the Aerodrome Control Tower. Not only is their role vital in running airports efficiently, they are also for the most part… Continue reading The tower with a soul… 1
New series on Roger-Wilco. The tower with a soul…
If you enjoyed reading the sometimes incredible stories in Same Time, Same Place, Same Level…, keep your seatbelts fastened! The last part of Same Time having just been published, we are bringing you a new series under the title: The tower with a soul. This will be the story of the first 25 years in the… Continue reading New series on Roger-Wilco. The tower with a soul…
Should MALEV be saved?
Do you remember the term “flag-carrier”? This was usually applied to the airline of a country which was seen as the object of national pride. As recently as a decade ago, when new States came into being, no matter how small, one of their first acts had been to create a national airline (often followed… Continue reading Should MALEV be saved?
Aerodrome control towers of the world – Budapest, Ferihegy
The origins The Budapest area has had three airports before operations moved to the current location, Ferihegy. The first Hungarian aviation pioneers tried their wings at Rakosmezo, a forlorn and ill-equipped pasture where enthusiasm was the only thing that kept those daring souls in the air. The first “real” airport was at Matyasfold, the second… Continue reading Aerodrome control towers of the world – Budapest, Ferihegy
Anniversary – IL-18 HA-MOH crash at Budapest-Ferihegy airport
35 year anniversary on 15 January 2010 Some anniversaries are occasions for sadness and a moment’s silence. An aircraft crash is always sad, a huge loss for everyone involved. When HA-MOH flew into the ground in the early evening of 15 January 1975 only 9 crew members were on board and they all lost their… Continue reading Anniversary – IL-18 HA-MOH crash at Budapest-Ferihegy airport
Anniversary – First radar system deployed at Budapest-Ferihegy airport
50 year anniversary on 6 May 2009 Those who visit Budapest Ferihegy airport these days see a very different facility from what it had been in 1959. If arriving on one of the low fare carriers, you do pass through the original terminal (Terminal 1) but it has changed quite a bit even though an… Continue reading Anniversary – First radar system deployed at Budapest-Ferihegy airport
Same time, same place, same level… 8.
View from the tower There can be little doubt that an airport looks its best from the control tower. True, pilots may lay claim to this, insisting that nothing equals the view from the front office window of an airplane in the final stages of its approach, but for earthbound controllers, the tower is absolute… Continue reading Same time, same place, same level… 8.