Ironflight

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
Is it just me, or have others noticed that transmission towers seem to be getting taller these days? There is this one in particular that is about ten miles South of our field, and I use it as sort of a boundary on one side of aerobatics area. It has always been about 1200' high, and a few weeks ago, coming down the back side of a loop, I looked over and the top looked a whole lot closer than usual!

I flew over that way and noticed that they had apparently built a new tower, twice as tall as the old one, and right next to it (like, within 50' - they had sistered it up). It isn't on the charts yet as being that tall, so not exactly sure ho far it sticks up.

Yesterday morning, I was up doing a little flying after the low cloud deck went broken, and got this picture (with my Iphone - not very high-res) - the bases were about 1200', the layer about 500' thick - you can do the rest of the math!;)

IMG_0018.JPG


Watch out for what is lurking in the clouds....:eek:

Paul
 
I looked and didn't see a NOTAM.

Very scary.

Is this it? It's from the chart effective yesterday.

chartu.jpg
 
Last edited:
Looks Familiar

That picture looks almost exactly like the view I had three years ago flying to SNF. We were on top of a fog layer in the morning flying from Lake City to Lakeland. We were probably around 4000 ft and I clearly remember seeing a tower poking up through the fog off to my left. It really got my attention as to how tall these things can be. Looking at the sectional it is noted as 1047 ft msl. Seemed taller at the time.
 
Last edited:
mdredmond said:
I looked and didn't see a NOTAM.

Very scary.

Is this it? It's from the chart effective yesterday.

chartu.jpg
Click to expand...

Nope - it's the one a few miles to the east (I guarentee it's more than 1300' now!) - the ones you have circled have been there for years!

Paul
 
Paul -

I was curious (and bored) so I called the FSDO. I probably should have called flight service instead. But anyway...

The lady told me that they typically don't issue NOTOMs unless the tower is unlit. Now... I'm not sure if this particular lady is in a position to know that for sure - but that's what she said.

Update: Flight Service just confirmed that NOTAMs are issued only if the tower is unlit. Seems kind of dangerous to me but whatever...
 
Last edited:
Lots of Unlit Towers...

We've got lots of tall, unlit towers around the south Houston area, and have since Hurricane Ike (a little over a year ago). Most of them are NOTAM'ed - my guess is since this is new construction, they have it lit because they are actually working on it, so might as well put it up with working bulbs....:rolleyes:

Of course, I haven't checked it at night to SEE if it is lit or not!:eek:
 
Garmin X96

When I got my Garmin with the obstruction database I was thinking how great this was going to be. Actually, at the most, it can lull you into a false sense of security. Even if you install every update immediately you have no assurance at all that there isn't a new one up there, either since the database was made or one that hasn't made it to the database (there are some of those around here).
 
If I were king, I wouldn't allow a tower to go up until it was published on the charts. Better to chart a tower that's not there yet...
 
Tall tower thoughts...

Surely, ATC personnel on duty know where the ones under construction are, regardless of them being lit or unlit. I know, I don't always get Flight Following either, but the point is if ATC does know where they are, then what is the source of their information? And why can't a NOTAM be issued?

If ATC does not know where they are...well, I hope an airliner doesn't hit one...:eek:

And remembering a fatal crash just a few weeks ago in Tulsa, which involved a pilot in IMC on an IFR departure hitting the guy wires of a not-very tall tower which was charted, I wonder how long it will be before someone hits the cables of a really tall tower. Maybe it's already happened.

You're right, Matt, you're not the king, and neither am I. :( I'd gladly let you be king so we can get this problem fixed. :)
 
Last edited:
Hey Paul,

Remember when the local airport manager decided to change the traffic pattern from a non-standard right hand pattern to a standard left hand pattern? The only problem was that he didn't file a Notam... only word of mouth. :eek:

Short story - I almost had a head-on midair with a Yak 50. I was pretty angry. :mad:

Karl
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Tall towers and scud running...

I know a pilot (who shall remain nameless) who said he once used his GPS, equipped with obstacle database, to scud run along the interstate in south Texas. He must have had an angel sitting on his shoulder!

Please, I know it was stupid, but it was not me! He told me about it after he returned home.

Have a good weekend.
 
rv7boy said:
I wonder how long it will be before someone hits the cables of a really tall tower. Maybe it's already happened.
Click to expand...

At least once! Growing up as a kid interested in both airplanes and antennas, this event involving the 2000-ft-plus KXJB TV tower ("tallest tower in the world"... at the time anyway) really grabbed my attention:

"The ... collapse occurred at 9:08 A.M. February 14, 1968 when the rotor of a Marine helicopter severed some guy wires (all four aboard the helicopter were killed in the mishap)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KXJB-TV_mast for more info.

--Paul
 
rv7boy said:
just a few weeks ago in Tulsa, which involved a pilot in IMC on an IFR departure hitting the guy wires of a not-very tall tower which was charted,
Click to expand...

Wow. The tower was only 600 feet tall and is 8 or 10 miles from the airport. I wonder why he was so low - and heading in the wrong direction.
 
Don,

On a somewhat related (NOTAMs) note -

My buddies and I are getting ready to launch a helium balloon w/ video camera and GPS tracker to somewhere about 110,000 feet.

I checked with the FAA and as long as it weighs less than six pounds, we don't need permission and don't need to notify anyone. I figured we'd call the FAA as a courtesy but was told that even if we do that they won't issue a NOTAM.

I know the chances of hitting a plane are miniscule but I can't imagine a six pound box would do anything good to an airliner going 500+ miles an hour.
 
mdredmond said:
Don,

On a somewhat related (NOTAMs) note -

My buddies and I are getting ready to launch a helium balloon w/ video camera and GPS tracker to somewhere about 110,000 feet.

I checked with the FAA and as long as it weighs less than six pounds, we don't need permission and don't need to notify anyone. I figured we'd call the FAA as a courtesy but was told that even if we do that they won't issue a NOTAM.

I know the chances of hitting a plane are miniscule but I can't imagine a six pound box would do anything good to an airliner going 500+ miles an hour.
Click to expand...

Big sky theory, I guess. :eek:
 
rv7boy said:
Surely, ATC personnel on duty know where the ones under construction are, regardless of them being lit or unlit. I know, I don't always get Flight Following either, but the point is if ATC does know where they are, then what is the source of their information? And why can't a NOTAM be issued?
Click to expand...

My experience has been that ATC doesn't always know. I was running up before departure at ABQ about a month ago and an airliner, prior to departing, asked the tower about an obstruction that was visible from their position not far from the departure path of the runway. The controller knew which tower they were asking about -- but didn't have any information.

At best, they might be a good 'grapevine' source.
 
It could have something to do with digital transmission of TV. I know on the Shoreview towers in the Twin Cities, when the TVs went to digital, a lot of the radio folks who were on the tower had to move their antennae. It's possible the tower owner figured it'd be cheaper to add a few sections than to build a new tower.

Some tower owners ARE pilot friendly. My in-laws own some radio station and cellphone towers (they used to own the radio station but kept the tower business because it's made more money than the radio stations) in North Adams, Ma.

A few years ago they were going to remove the lighting because they were no longer required. Pilots asked that they be kept lit, not so much because they were afraid of hitting them, but because they're on top of a mountain, the airport is in a valley surrounded by mountains, and the flashing red light was the defacto navigation beacon.

So my FIL and BIL decided to foot the bill for the pilots and keep it lit. It flashes to this day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.