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After a week, McCarran Tower (KLAS) back online
The air traffic control tower at McCarran International Airport reopened Wednesday morning, a week after being shut down by the Federal Aviation Administration following a controller’s positive test for the novel coronavirus. (www.reviewjournal.com) More...
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The tower would need to be cleaned and sanitized, which is the issue. besides, ATC at KLSV already has their hands full, and may not know all of the SOPs at KLAS, especially as they would not be familiar with:
1. converging operations. KLSV only has the 3/21s, and wouldn't be familiar with using the 1/19s, and keeping the aircraft on final for the 19s out of KLSV's airspace.
2. all 4 runway configurations at KLAS.
3. noise abatement procedures.
4. LOAs with L30 and ZLA. ZLA almost caused some major incidents during the wildfires that almost took out SCT because they were giving right crosswind departures off the 24s and 25s, which went straight into the arrival stream for the 24s because they weren't familiar with the LOAs between LAX and SCT. Same could happen here.
A lot more that goes into it than we realize. Now, I'll grant you that they could have used the old tower which is between the parking garage and trains to the C gates, but I don't know if LAS took all of the equipment out in the move to the new tower, or left it there.
1. converging operations. KLSV only has the 3/21s, and wouldn't be familiar with using the 1/19s, and keeping the aircraft on final for the 19s out of KLSV's airspace.
2. all 4 runway configurations at KLAS.
3. noise abatement procedures.
4. LOAs with L30 and ZLA. ZLA almost caused some major incidents during the wildfires that almost took out SCT because they were giving right crosswind departures off the 24s and 25s, which went straight into the arrival stream for the 24s because they weren't familiar with the LOAs between LAX and SCT. Same could happen here.
A lot more that goes into it than we realize. Now, I'll grant you that they could have used the old tower which is between the parking garage and trains to the C gates, but I don't know if LAS took all of the equipment out in the move to the new tower, or left it there.
You could set up a temporary tower, but it would still be very, very limited. Radios are easy. It is all the peripherals that can't be transferred: different communication lines between approach controls and centers, strip printers for clearances, consoles that control runway lights, the in tower radar displays...the list goes on and on. Back in my military days we had a "portable tower" in the back of an International Harvester truck, but the entire tower was a couple of radios and one land line to the approach control.
For the FAA to do it, it would have to be an absolutely last ditch emergency effort.
For the FAA to do it, it would have to be an absolutely last ditch emergency effort.
It makes you wonder why they didn't reuse the old tower that they already had, between the B and C gates. It hasn't been torn down yet, as everything was simply moved to the new tower, adjacent to the D and E gates.
Either way, the tower is open now, so it's all good.
Either way, the tower is open now, so it's all good.
Thank you very much for the response.
Better just copy and paste the title next time xD
Just a thought.