Leesburg Airport Gets Remote Control Airport Tower

LEESBURG, Va. (WJZ) -- It's a first of its kind experiment in this country, and it could be a game changer for busy, but smaller airports.

Alex DeMetrick has more on the remote control airport tower.

Big planes take big airports and big control towers to operate, but there are lots of airports--like Leesburg in northern Virginia, not that far from the Maryland line--that don't have a control tower... but they do have a room reconfigured to look like one.

"The difference here is instead of looking out the window, they're looking at the output of high definition cameras," said Matt Massino, Saab.

A panoramic display of Leesburg Airport, without the millions it would cost to build a tower. Built by the Swedish company Saab, controllers could sit in a windowless office, and, with radios and other displays, direct planes to land and take off.

"It only took a couple of months to put in," said airport manager Scott Coffman.

The camera platform was built off-site and lowered by crane onto the airport terminal's roof. Duplicates could be placed at other airports, allowing controllers to bring planes in or take off remotely. It's being used in Europe.

"Where controllers are remotely providing air traffic control services to another airport that's 100 miles away," Massino said.

Leesburg Airport hosts 115,000 takeoffs and landings a year, tucked into one of the busiest airspaces in the country.

"We think a control tower would benefit both the efficiency of the airport, the safety of the airport and then it would make it more attractive to customers who come use the airport," Coffman said.

Because at all uncontrolled airports, it's up to pilots to control themselves. In bad weather, it can be a challenge.

"There's been several flights when I've had to hold out over Martinsburg and wait for that guy to get down and call, and then I can be allowed in. So this would be a big boom for us," said pilot Dennis Boykin.

The FAA is monitoring the remote control system for safety and efficiency before giving it approval.