ATC
FAA Runs Tests while Winter Haven Preps for Remote Tower
FAA reauthorization bill directs FAA to move forward on testing and operational approval
A digital tower at London Heathrow International Airport
Remote tower use is expanding globally. © London Heathrow International Airport

The FAA has stepped up activity surrounding digital remote towers, with systems undergoing testing at the agency’s William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City. Winter Haven Regional Airport/Gilbert Field (KGIF) in Florida is working toward becoming the first in the U.S. to receive approval for an installed remote tower system.

While the timeline for approval is not certain, testing activity marks a step forward for the program that had sputtered earlier this decade after the FAA had changed certification standards for the technology. That change had upended two of the most advanced projects in the U.S.—at Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia and Northern Colorado Regional Airport near Fort Collins, with the respective vendors Saab and Searidge halting their efforts.

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