The Air Traffic Control teams at any airport in the nation are the backbone of ensuring the safe and efficient movement of aircraft through the layered complexities of airspace. They are at the mercy of the weather – whether it be cloud cover, winds, or rain – and are repeatedly stretched to capacity on the busiest of days. All the while, they are expected to perform with incredible attention to detail, utilizing every element of their intense and high demand training to keep everyone safe, whether in the air or on the ground.
The Ventura County Department of Airports is fortunate to have established partnerships with the air traffic control teams at both Camarillo and Oxnard airports – partnerships that are deeply rooted in the shared goals of process improvement, transparency, and the building of relationships with the community.
When Fly Friendly VC launched in September 2022, it was immediately clear that the success of the program was dependent on, quite frankly, buy-in from the air traffic control teams who operate independently from the Department of Airports as a critical piece of the Federal Aviation Administration puzzle. Without hesitation, the tower managers at both Camarillo Airport and Oxnard Airport were on board with Fly Friendly VC, knowing that improvements to airport operations with all stakeholders in mind would play a vital role in the overall success of the airports.
Since the launch, there now exists an established line of communication between Department of Airports’ staff and both towers with monthly reports of operations data and, most importantly, immediate access to information related to air traffic in the area. That access not only provides Department of Airports’ staff with a clear understanding of the conditions surrounding a particular operation, but it also allows staff to establish consistent communication with the public with an ultimate goal of building awareness and trust. Additionally, that line of communication provides the Department of Airports the opportunity to ensure that Fly Friendly VC remains a priority and that the program itself continues to improve with feedback from not just neighbors in the community and pilots, but also from members of the tower teams themselves.
Of equal importance is the mutual effort between the Department of Airports and both tower teams to bridge the gap between the community and air traffic control operations, not just through communication but through access to the top of the towers where the teams are hard at work. Through the Department of Airports’ tour program, of which both towers are a part, members of the community have direct access to seeing the work of the air traffic controllers firsthand, providing what becomes an exciting experience for younger visitors and an educational experience for older visitors like Logan, a local high school junior, who is interested in pursuing a career as an air traffic controller and who was able to speak with Lee Westfall, the tower manager at Oxnard Airport, who has invested nearly 50 years as an air traffic controller in airports throughout the region. That kind of direct access not only inspires careers, feeding the future of the industry, but it provides an opportunity to better understand the complex nature of the federal regulations surrounding airspace and why programs like Fly Friendly VC operate the way they do. Moving forward, the Department of Airports will remain committed to this partnership and to the ongoing work of strengthening the connection between the community and the sky.