Daytona Beach Tower - DAB

ATCmom Junior Member Virginia Beach, VA

sounds exciting thanks for the info!

towerflower Junior Member Palm Coast, FL

To be honest with you there is nothing that you can do. We had an "intern" once, I really wouldn't call them that. It was a choice of doing a paper at ERAU or working at the facility. Due to various reasons, the only thing this "intern" could do was count traffic. The rest of the time was spent sitting around and maybe monitoring a position or two. It just isn't worth the trouble until the FAA will let them do more....say the duties of an Air Traffic Assistant.

towerflower Junior Member Palm Coast, FL

Sorry, but Jim Zieler is not the man to talk to. Zieler may be a Riddle grad but he is only a sup and does not have the power to hire an intern. The power rests solely on the ATM and the FAA, he can't do squat for you. I speak from experience and worked there.

PapaGolf Senior Member Biscuit

I think if you have a current Class II and check out you can talk Ground under supervision. At least that's what they're telling me regarding KPRC (ERAU-Prescott Campus).

towerflower Junior Member Palm Coast, FL

ATC Mom and Tommy,

I retired from DAB in 2007 after working there for 14 years. DAB is mainly a General Aviation airport with a very high amount of pilot training. There are several flight schools on and at surrounding airports. ERAU isn't the sole training school. They will also come from surrounding areas like SFB and MLB and TIX to get their flight training. DAB is well known for getting pilots the approaches that they need. They are Class C airspace with 3 airports within 10 miles; OMN, 7FL6 (Spruce Creek Fly-in) and EVB, the have two more within 20 miles; XFL and DED. Right now only DED and 7FL6 do not have a control tower--XFL is due to open a tower in Sept. The surrounding towers are contract. We have very little commercial airline traffic and most jet traffic is NASCAR related. Shuttle launches are fun to work....not, the 30 mile no fly zone hits the southern part of the airspace and the 40 mile zone effects the traffic pattern.

It can/will be a challenge, plain and simple it is a free for all, aviation wise. There is no structure feeding that you will find at other tracons those students will call you from anywhere and anytime and from there you just work with it. No matter how often the facility talks to the schools they will still call in the worst possible area, like on the final to one of the airports. You will need to have a lot of patience working there. They deal with newbie pilots and they make mistakes, they will jump all over you and each other on the freq, they will not readback items, they will read them back wrong, and you will find yourself at times repeating things 3 times before you get the first response back or they get it right. When the schools are in full force you will be busy, when the schools are on summer/winter breaks you won't be. NASCAR has two big races, one in February and one in July. They have other things going on at the track too.....like tire testing, etc where you might see a corporate jet or too come in for. Speed week in February is always fun, then you get to see the real mix of trying to feed the jets and slow ones. Under normal conditions people just make a hole for the lone jet that comes in occassionally, by breaking out the little ones, it's just easier to get rid of that fast one. We have had people from some of the busiest places in the country, visit us, looking for that sweet place to retire and run out the door, mummbling things like...this is too crazy, what a free for all, I wasn't expecting this!

As to the question as to how long it takes to get checked out........hmmmm, several factors come into play. Do you have any past experience? Like with the military, DOD, or even a contract tower. Each person is different, some pick things up quickly and others take some more time. You will most likely train in the tower first. Ground control and Local 2 can be fun. The main LC, LC1, has mainly everyone already sequenced to the runway, you might have to make a decision on a intersecting runway feed and naturally figuring out how to get those departures out. LC2 is different, you get fed arrivals mainly from the south and you sequence them and your traffic pattern in with them. It has been known to have 8 or more in the pattern but sadly there are some who won't take the chance on working that many and limit them to 5. GC can be fun with getting everyone from point A to B and places in between. We had a tiger-team there once because we were once in the top 10 for runway incursions. They gave up counting runway crossings when they hit 150. Most trainees check out in the tower but it's the radar room that weeds out the weak. The overflight positions (lamma, mateo, and high) are normally next in line....normally the slower of positions. But don't think that these will be cake walks either, T-storms in the summer are not fun with the center dropping the MCO arrivals down for us to feed. The lows are where the fun begins. They have people who have been in training for well over 2 years, some are close and others are not. How well you do can also depend on what crew you end up on. When you get there I'm sure you'll find out quickly what crew to avoid. You might not have a choice in the beginning but if you find yourself not advancing due to a certain sup go to the rep and ask them to help you change crews. This will not reflect badly on you in any way shape or form. There are those in the facility who know what a big problem this sup can be on trainees but the higher ups can't/won't do anything about them.

Have any other questions? send me one and I'll get you the answer.

Take care to both of you.

ATCmom Junior Member Virginia Beach, VA

Hey Thanks Tower, that was some great info!!

The Fold Transmitting in the Blind South Florida

Excellent write-up, and it's 100% true. If you want the Localizer BC 25R Circle to 16, you'll get it. If you want the GPS/RNAV for anything, you'll get it, Daytona controllers are Top Notch in my book.

As for people not listening, I suppose all i can say is "Phoenix"

Thanks for your service there.

towerflower Junior Member Palm Coast, FL

TFlanary,

To single out Phoenix is wrong. They all do it, ERAU included.

irishcarbomb Moderator Houston, TX

except air america...we were perfect

i remember coming in one night and i heard this:

airplane - "Daytona departure Riddle *** with you..."
controller - "Riddle *** join the shoreline northbound, say altitude leaving."
airplane - "Riddle *** Join the shorline northbound...(short pause) ummm, altitude leaving?.."

followed by silence...i 'd

lunchbox Asst to Regional Manager Port Orange, FL

I drove by DAB today and shook my head in the sadness that has come over Daytona ever since... well ever. I remember when Lufthansa used to fly out of there... I think. But I didn't see any activity.