The Federal Aviation Administration might choose Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey to be the third airport to use remote cameras for air traffic control. The Idaho Mountain Express reports a Denver-based company presented the idea to the airport board of directors last week.
The opportunity to switch to digital tower technology could come before 2023. The FAA already plans to remove the airport tower on the east side of the runway that year. The video monitoring could be set up to send images of the airfield from a smaller tower. Analysts say the technology is cheaper than building a new tower and staffing it, and it also lets staff work in a more comfortable working environment elsewhere at the airport.
Leesburg, Virginia and Fort Collins, Colorado have both installed the new technology – though neither have fully implemented it.
According to the Mountain Express, the airport board directed staff to apply to be the third location for the camera-operated air traffic control system.
Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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