As you’re all well aware of by now, there was a mid-air collision on the approach to Runway 8 last week. We are incredibly grateful for no fatalities and have been praying for quick recoveries for all three pilots.

We have seen record-setting operations for the past five months – almost on par with what Austin Bergstrom is recording (and it’s important to note that Austin’s tower operates 24/7 so it’s very possible that our operations have exceeded theirs). With the cooler temperatures, we don’t anticipate a slow down in the months to come.

Prior to last week, we had already started the process of requesting longer control tower operating hours. The tower currently operates from 7:00am to 7:00 pm every day of the year.

In order to justify this increase, we have to measure after-hours operations and make the request directly through our tower manager who will then send it up the chain to the FAA.

We’re confident that our request can be easily justified and will do everything in our power to expedite a response.

In the meantime, this accident is a not-so-gentle reminder to keep our eyes outside the cockpit when in the pattern.

Fly safe,
Cassidy Berenato
Director of Marketing and Business Development