Flagler County, FL – (April 8, 2021) It will no longer be a he-said-she-said when a nearby resident lodges a complaint about a low flying plane, or an extreme number of planes flying overhead. Flagler Executive Airport Director Roy Sieger will be able to accurately assess the situation using new technology made available through the VirTower tracking system.
“In the simplest terms, we are able to provide the who, what, when, and where of the aircraft in the area,” said VirTower President Les Goldsmith. “This is done automatically every second, 24 hours a day.”
The system – which is cloud-based with triple redundancy to prevent down time – tracks geolocation and transponder information coming from the aircraft to provide its speed and elevation, as well as its path of travel. It monitors takeoffs, landings, and aircraft types. Data points are plotted on an easy-to-read map within a designated area.
The benefit for Sieger is that it gives him the ability to create a snapshot of airport operations, and pinpoint that picture to a very specific date, time, and location. It also provides owner information, which will allow him to have direct conversations – if and when they become necessary – about activities that violate FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) rules.
“I can pull this (computer screen) up and show them a screenshot of exactly what they’re doing at the airport,” Sieger told the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting on Monday (April 5).
The system’s searchable database allows Sieger to generate reports based on things like registration, aircraft type, operation type, activity, or operator.
Flagler Executive Airport is a public use airport, which means Sieger can ask only that pilots and flight schools voluntarily comply with its “Fly Friendly” guidelines – designed to limit nighttime and holiday noise, and keep low altitude flying time over residential areas to a minimum.
VirTower has been in use at the Flagler Executive Airport less than a month at a cost of $6,000 annually.
“Having this data readily accessible is tremendously helpful,” Sieger said. “It really provides a very complete picture about what is happening at the airport.”
VirTower launched in October 2020 after two years of development, Goldsmith said. The tracking system is being used by 20% of the public use airports in Florida, including those in Ormond Beach, DeLand, and Fernandina Beach.
Flagler Executive Airport was originally constructed in 1942 as an outlying military airfield for Naval Air Station Jacksonville. It operates as an enterprise fund, which means that everything from changing light bulbs to salaries to capital projects come from revenues from grants, or earned through ground and building leases and fuel sales. Property taxes are not utilized to support the airport.
Media Release: Julie Murphy, MPIO
Public Information Officer
Featured Photo: Merriam Multimedia
