Airport tower and controllers are undoubtedly a plus for community

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Jul. 30--We think Victoria County Commissioner Gary Burns summed up the value of the Victoria Regional Airport tower very well (Advocate Viewpoints, July 27).

The question about the tower and controllers arose when a controller in the tower alerted a pilot preparing to land whose landing gear was not down. Clearly, the controller saved the plane from being wrecked (bent props are very expensive to fix) and possibly the pilot's life. There is no way to predict what would happen in such a crash: The plane could cause sparks and catch fire; the plane could roll over or turn end over end. The possibilities are many.

Of course, the controller also saved the crash from being investigated by the FAA, fire trucks called to the scene and all other costs involved with such a crash. Thank goodness for the controller.

The airport tower was never used until recently. In 2008, it was restored, equipped and put into operation with the help of a grant from the Federal Aviation Agency -- the grant paid 95 percent of the cost, and the work was contracted locally. The grant also covered salaries of the controllers.

Many corporations will not allow their jets to land in non-controlled airspace. Those jets are a big investment, so the corporations require controllers before doing business with the airport.

The Airport Improvement Program grant money would have been spent elsewhere had it not gone to the local airport.

"A lot of the AIP grants come from fuel tax money paid here at the Victoria Regional Airport," Burns said.

So these controllers now help to boost the local economy by living here. And having an operational control tower helped to nail down contracts with the government for fuel.

"The controllers did great. That's one of the reasons they're there besides financial benefits, it's the safety," Burns said.

We agree. Safety and economic benefits make the control tower and its controllers a huge value.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.