Ohio legislators advocate for Air Nat’l Guard: Concern expressed to FAA for keeping traffic controllers at Toledo Express

Five members of Ohio's Congressional delegation have asked the Federal Aviation Administration to "strongly consider" potential harm to the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing if certain air-traffic controllers were to be moved out of the Toledo Express Airport control tower.

The 180th's rapid-response capability under its Aerospace Control Alert mission could be compromised if the Terminal Radar Approach Control functions now performed in Toledo are moved to a different control tower as part of FAA facilities consolidation, according to the joint letter the congressmen sent to FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta.

Co-signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), Bob Latta (R., Bowling Green), and Jim Jordan (R., Troy) and Ohio's two senators, Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Sherrod Brown.

Should the approach control be moved elsewhere, the congressmen wrote, Toledo air-traffic controllers experienced with the 180th's mission would be mixed in with others "who presumably have little-to-no familiarity with the mission."

Assigning controllers to Toledo's air space from a larger employee pool also would mean that each individual controller would likely have fewer opportunities to participate in the 180th's bi-weekly practice alert scrambles, they wrote.

"Controller experience and familiarization with the processes and procedures for launching ACA F-16 aircraft is imperative to mission success," the letter reads in part.

The congressmen also wrote that the existing opportunities for personnel at the 180th to meet and interact with Toledo Air Traffic Control staff "has contributed to the success of the ACA mission and a perfect safety record controlling and integrating fighters with other civilian traffic.“

Moving those controllers elsewhere "will obviously complicate this important face-to-face communication," they wrote.

The congressional letter follows similar letters the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and a coalition of airport users sent last month to the FAA concerning the possible TRACON relocation.

- Source:  http://www.toledoblade.com