Small planes, small airports The change of political system in Hungary was the main driver behind the presence of an increasing number of small aircraft, more and more people chose this way to visit the country. Since there was only one international airport, Ferihegy in Budapest, every plane had to land there to complete the… Continue reading A tower with a soul…11
Tag: tower
The tower with a soul… 9
Parties then and now As I said earlier, the tower was standing in the middle of the prairie. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage. Very little of the dirt and mud throwing that went on in the main building actually reached the tower. At the same time most decisions were made without our… Continue reading The tower with a soul… 9
The tower with a soul… 5
Flying over the cuckoo’s nest A really cute novelty was the cuckoo act. This was the art of working during the night shift while being in deep sleep at the same time. I did not have much of a need to spend whole nights wide awake before coming to ATC… I mean, even in the… Continue reading The tower with a soul… 5
The tower with a soul… 4
Wrestling with the “furniture” The huge control panel for the various ground lights, like the taxiway lighting, was next to the ground controller’s console. The control panel was teeming with various switches used to turn various sections of taxiway lights on and off. The panel was variously nicknamed Christmas tree and railway shunting-yard. The multitude… Continue reading The tower with a soul… 4
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
Aerodrome control towers of the world – Vancouver Harbour, Vancouver, BC, Canada
For some reason, the height of air traffic control towers has become almost a matter of competition between airports and even countries. With some very nice new airports popping up in exotic places, new and ever taller towers seem to be a requirement not to be ignored. Of course the height of the tower is… Continue reading Aerodrome control towers of the world – Vancouver Harbour, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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
New series on Roger-Wilco – aerodrome control towers of the world
Your input is also needed! Many articles have been written about aerodrome control towers and with their wealth of data and nice pictures, the articles are certainly interesting and enjoyable. In our new series on the towers we want to do something different. Nice pictures and some basic data like height will be there but… Continue reading New series on Roger-Wilco – aerodrome control towers of the world
Show me your tower, I tell you who you are
Show a pilot or air traffic controller a photo of a control tower with nothing else visible on the picture and they will say the name of the airport almost without thinking. This happens every time, no matter how little known or exotic the airport may be. This is no accident. The tower is the… Continue reading Show me your tower, I tell you who you are
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.