60 FAA air traffic controllers closely monitor skies during Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland
LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Over a dozen Federal Aviation Administration workers in orange ATC-lettered T-shirts stare into the air in a 360-degree room more than 100 feet above ground.
Some of them are using binoculars. Some are assigned to look out the north side of the tower. Others look out of the south.
SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo: What you need to know
All of them are relaying information to a single person who then provides instructions to the thousands of pilots flying in and out of Lakeland Linder International Airport during the six-day Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo.
“They’re calling out ‘high wing,’ ‘low wing,’ color of the aircraft,” assistant director at Lakeland Linder International Airport Adam Lunn said.
“And say rock your wings. They’ll look to verify that the pilot acknowledges by rocking their wings, and then they’ll tell them either to proceed into the airport and land, or they may have them turn out and restart the approach procedure again.”
Lunn said 60 air traffic controllers from the FAA have been brought in from all over the country, including from California and Alaska, to work Sun ‘n Fun this week.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit Lakeland for the event, which is celebrating its 50th year.
Months before the event, pilots are given a Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, with specific instructions on how to take off and land for the massive event.
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“It runs very smoothly. It’s like clockwork,” said Jeff Linebaugh, a pilot who flew his P-51
Mustang during Wednesday afternoon’s air show. “We all study and look at the traffic patterns, the flows, who we’re going to talk to, and it makes it very easy.”
“That way everybody’s on the same page. You have to perform these key details in order to be safe. You can’t just come whizzing in,” said Aaron Brook, who flew to Lakeland from Oregon.
Even Amazon’s air operations are worked into the air traffic control plan.
“We coordinate both with the carriers that fly for Amazon as well as the FAA months in advance to make sure we have schedules aligned and that we build in specific windows for the aircraft to come in and out during the show,” said Lunn.
With thousands of takeoffs and landings this week, Lakeland Linder International Airport has become one of, if not the, busiest airports in the world.
The dozens of air traffic controllers will continue keeping track of every plane through Sunday, the last day of the event.
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