The Tower of Power

Recently our flying club toured the new tower at Palm Beach International in southeastern Florida. About 60 pilots signed up to see this multimillion-dollar facility. This is what we saw.

Fred Simonds

Sunday, October 08, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The new 241-foot PBI air traffic control tower, completed in late 2015, includes a TRACON facility, a decision reached after years of debate regarding the consolidation of air traffic services.
The TRACON is equipped with the advanced Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS), featuring high-resolution digital displays and tools like Minimum Safe Altitude Warnings, Conflict Detection, and Converging Runway Display Aid to enhance air traffic management.
The state-of-the-art facility provides controllers with an unobstructed view of the airport and beyond, while also offering pilots key takeaways on proper transponder use, radio communication, and navigating airspace boundaries.

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Recently our flying club toured the new tower at Palm Beach International in southeastern Florida. About 60 pilots signed up to see this multimillion-dollar facility. This is what we saw.

The Backstory

In 2006, the FAA announced a money-saving plan to eliminate 14 Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities in nine states, including the one at PBI, consolidating them into Miami Center. Years of debate ensued amongst concerned citizens and pilots, Congressmen, AOPA, PBI’s ATC specialists and their union. Despite the unresolved TRACON matter, the FAA contracted to build the tower minus TRACON space in 2008.