AIRPORT WEATHER DATA ADD TO NEED FOR CONTROL TOWER

The Cape Girardeau Regional Airport will lose its manned weather station on March 5. Weather observers have been pretty much a fixture at the airport for nearly 40 years. Now pilots will receive weather reports from an automated system.

The switch to automation isn't unexpected. The Federal Aviation Administration has determined the level of airport traffic here doesn't warrant a manned station open.

The FAA operated a flight service station at the airport from 1960 to 1987. Since that time, the FAA has contracted with private firms to provide manned weather observations here.

Cape Girardeau is certainly not alone in this switch to automation. The FAA has embraced the automated weather observations in a growing number of airports across the country. Cost is a key factor. A St. Louis area firm, Midwest Weather Inc., under a contract with the FAA, employs six workers at the Cape airport to check local weather 24 hours a day. The cost runs around $140,000 a year.

Some pilots prefer the automated system because of the convenience and instant access. Pilots can dial up a weather radio frequency and get the automated weather voice with real-time weather observations. Weather readings from the Cape airport will also be available from the Internet.

A spokesman for Trans World Express, which services the Cape airport, said the commuter airline is using more and more automated weather systems. The change in Cape Girardeau won't be a major one for TWE. Air Evac, the fixed based operator at the airport, agreed that automated weather is certainly becoming the standard at airports across the country.

But automation isn't perfect. The FAA has promised improvements to the automated system nationwide to provide better weather observations. But budget shortfalls in the FAA may put these improvements on a back burner.

Wayne Anders with Air Evac said some pilots will miss the personal touch at the local airport, especially in the case of fast-moving storm systems. Ground observers can sometimes better keep track of freezing rain, shallow fog and other storm conditions.

The loss of this manned weather station underscores the need for continued operation of the airport traffic control tower. The tower can greatly help pilots when fast-moving weather conditions develop. The tower operates during daylight hours.

A decline in traffic led the FAA to eliminate funding for the airport tower in 1995. The city took over the operation and hopes to build traffic to the point that the FAA will once again cover the tower expense.

The appointment of a new airport manager should help get things moving at the airport again. The city has been without a permanent airport manager since last November. Bruce Loy takes over April 2. He comes to Cape Girardeau from Seattle.

Building traffic at the airport will be a key concern, along with continued operations of the airport tower. The new airport manager certainly has a big task ahead in terms of developing passenger service, general aviation and economic development.