[TowerTalk] Light up those towers.

[Edward W. Sleight]

Edward W. Sleight wrote:
> 
 Guys, let me add my 2 cents worth here. The FAA requires that ALL
towers
 above a certain height be both painted, and have suitable obstruction
 lighting.
 
 The airspace from the ground to 500 feet is sorta unprotected, with the
 except of TCAs around airports.
 
 While generally speaking, you are required to maintain an altitude of
 at least 500 feet over "civilian" areas, military aircraft are allowed
 to disregard this rule when traning for "sandblower" missions.  These
 missions are flown normally during daylight hours over relatively
 unpopulated areas, but they do intrude on populated areas. For training
 purposes during daylight hours, the maximum altitude used is 100 feet.
 When possible, we would drop down to 50 feet, and that is the altitude
 always used over water. Night missions are flown in training at 500
 feet, BUT, with the realization in mind that these are actually cleared
 to "sandblower" altitudes at the pilot's discretion.  ( I was never
very
 discreet over the WV mountains )
 
 And for the final 10 mins or so of the mission, our routes did take
 us directly over populated areas.
 
 It just makes sense if you put something up over tree level in the 200
 + range, that you light it up. You never know with today's night
 guidance what might come zooming along. Not to mention the "indians"
 who get caught in bad weather and descend just trying to keep visual
 contact with the ground.
 
 73
> 
> Ed

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