"New tower causes McCarran airport problem"

Friday, September 1, 2000

New tower causes airport problem
Facility to control ramps blocks FAA runway view
By Ed Koch
LAS VEGAS (NV) SUN


A new $3 million tower at McCarran International Airport was built too tall
and partially blocks the main control tower's view of runways, Airport
Director Randy Walker said.

Las Vegas One, a sister company of the Sun, reported on its "News One at
Nine" broadcast Thursday that the mistake in design could cost $100,000 to
repair.

Walker said today that his immediate concern is to fix the problem on the
tower that is slated to be completed and go into operation next year, and
assess blame later. He said the matter could wind up being covered by
insurance.

"The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) rule is that they must have an
unobstructed view of 100 percent of the runway from a sitting position,"
Walker said.

"For about 50 feet of the runway, you cannot see the wheels of the aircraft
in a sitting position (from the FAA tower). If you stand up, you have a 100
percent view."

Walker said he met today with engineers to discuss ways in which to shorten
the under-construction tower that will control planes going from the taxiway
to the gates and the gates to the taxiway -- an area called "the ramp."

Walker said estimates are that fixing the height problem will cause an
eight-week delay in the completion of the ramp tower, which is being built
because the FAA will no longer do ramp control -- a task it performed for
decades but was not obligated to do.

"News One" reported that the FAA caught the problem last week in time. Had
the tower been completed, it could have been a safety risk, "News One" said.

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