Feds to Cut McCollum Funding May 5

The Federal Aviation Administration will cut funding to the air traffic control tower at Kennesaw's McCollum Field on May 5, the agency announced Wednesday.

The McCollum tower is one of 149 regional airport towers that the FAA decided to close as part of a plan to meet $637 million in cuts required under budget sequestration.

To be clear, McCollum Field will not close. Instead, planes will have to "rely on plane-to-plane communications in order to land" at McCollum, airport manager Karl Von Hagel told the Marietta Daily Journal earlier this month.

Thousands of airports operate safely throughout the United States with and without control towers today, according to the FAA, which will begin a phased closure of the 149 towers beginning on April 7. 

Funding will cease for 24 contract towers on April 7, 46 contract towers on April 21, and the remaining 79 contract towers on May 5.

When the FAA ceases funding for control tower operations, the airport operator has a choice.

"The airport operator may choose to operate as a non-towered airport," according to a guide prepared by the FAA. "The airport operator may also choose to continue providing tower services as a non-Federal control tower. The decision made by the airport operator will most likely affect what happens with the existing tower structure and the equipment inside."

The FAA will not begin removing equipment and terminating local service agreements immediately, according to the FAA guide.

"In most cases it will take up to 90 days after the contract tower funding ceases for the FAA to begin disconnecting and removing equipment at the affected towers."

Click here for the complete list of closing dates.

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• McCollum Field Tower Will Close
• Cuts to Force Control Tower Shutdown at McCollum Field
• Spending Cuts Could Impact McCollum