Any views on the view from the tower (camera)?
 

RAF Lossiemouth is long overdue a new ATC tower and after some of the recent investment being identified as being for the tower (https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisat...f-lossiemouth/) it appears that the idea of remote local control is being favoured. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...tland-51705008

It is unclear from the BBC article whether the tower would be simply aided by "cameras and zoom lenses" or if the usual goldfish bowl would be replaced with a windowless room equipped with large monitors, as seems to be the trend in London and anywhere HIAL can fit them.

If one assumes perfect comms and security, would you be happy to use a remote service? Would this view change with more real-world comms (given that Lossiemouth does get fast internet these days)?

The technology has been working for some time, so why not? Let's face it, the whole of the UK's airspace is controlled from two places. Remote control towers are the next step for most airfields.

currently in use at LCY. If they can manage at a major airport in the centre of a major city with a very complicated ATC airspace structure, sure it will be fine in the @rse end of jock land. As long as everyone has Mode S (preferably ADSB) then can’t see an issue. Saves a load of ATCers from moving North. Shame they can’t remotely fly P8 when based out of there from St Mawgan or I would have considered staying in!

I believe initially a trial installation so controllers remain in existing tower but trial use of cameras. If suitable for mil use (as opposed to the many civ installations), may get taken up as an option. Obvious benefits (centralised multi-airfield controllers so shared rotas etc, no need for full size towers so cheaper construction and maintenance costs...).

I left in 1986 and their were plans back then to build a new Control Tower. Amazed with all the works and changes at Lossie, that in 2020 that still has not happened.

As an aside one of the old hangers at Kinloss had a camera on it, as you could not see the threshold of Rwy 26 from the Tower. Black and white and out of focus, but it got the job done, until a spider or wasp got in the way! I cant remember if you could move it, but I do remember watching a guy leap from the RVR Tower on the same runway into a pile of snow during a winter snowstorm, dusted himself down as errant Nimrod went around for another go.

My understanding is that Loss is the test case for digitising ATC and other Station functions. Hopefully it will have the funding and technical resources to see the job done properly, otherwise it will be another half-arsed attempt at dragging support functions into the 21st century.

Nice prejudice on show Red 👍. The 1950s are calling and want their dinosaur back. Probably best off out of it now.

whiskydrinker - don't bite. The more that don't enjoy being up around Lossie, the quieter the roads/pubs are for those that do :)

No it doesn't as the tower and personnel will still be based at EGQS just in a modern working environment rather than something that was built as a temporary structure in the 1940s

Would be good if Project Marshall was on time before we started looking at remote ops.

What are the financial benefits of presumably huge, very high quality screens with the associated technology over.........
a big window?

Aside from the obvious that you don't need a window cleaner.

Back in the 70s we had a couple of chain smoking Master Aircrew controllers in the tower at Manston. After the windows had an inside clean you could see further 5km!

How much does it cost to glaze a control tower, as opposed to just ‘a window’?
very large, very high quality (and high resolution) monitors are not all that expensive, even allowing for gov purchasing policy of usually over-paying for everything in the perception of quality.

I remember learning a great deal from the Duty Pilots and some DPs even showed an interest in the dark arts of ATC!
Seriously though, what arrangements will there be for the specialist input to ATC in the event of an emergency inbound?