Are these also the genii who are advocating Class E airspace overlying Class D control zones? I thought the whole premise of building a tower was to have controllers at the top predominantly using their eyes, in conjunction with other information sources, to provide a safe and expedient aerodrome control service to traffic.
Even with a high quality video link, I doubt any controller could effectively provide a aerodrome control service from a remote location with quality anywhere near approaching the levels we get from current staffed facilities.
The best case scenario I could potentially envisage with a "remote tower" would be a system similar to current low visibility procedures. This would mean lower overall aircraft throughput, no VFR traffic (even on CAVOK days), and heavily increased infrastructure requirements at the aerodromes concerned. Worst case would of course be some paint getting scratched, and punters going home inside wooden boxes.
Is anyone able to tell me what safety improvements this idea could offer?
- PRD Area (concerned pilot)