Story ID: 
Leesburg Moving On from Its Remote Tower
By: David Hughes
Caption: The town of Leesburg, Virginia will use an FAA mobile tower to temporarily replace the remote tower that had operated at Leesburg Executive Airport.
Word Count: 318
The town of Leesburg, Virginia, is keeping ATC services available at Leesburg Executive Airport (KJYO) with an FAA mobile tower that began operating on June 22 to replace a remote tower that is closing. The FAA is shutting down the uncertified remote tower operating at KJYO after eight years of development following Saab's decision not to complete system design review and withdrawing from the project. Saab has deployed more modern remote towers that are operating in other countries.
Meanwhile, the FAA said it will pay for the mobile tower lease and controllers at KJYO through September. Leesburg officials plan to enter the federal contract tower (FCT) program and must construct a permanent tower by 2028. “The agency is working with them to identify applicable funding and grant programs,” the FAA said in an email response to questions.
KJYO airport director Scott Coffman said the FAA will continue to provide controllers for the mobile tower until a permanent facility is built at a cost of as much as $16 million. Leasing a mobile tower will cost the airport $10,000 per month. The Town of Leesburg just approved a $250,000 preliminary site survey for a permanent tower, which Coffman believes will be reimbursable under federal grants. KJYO is a busy general aviation airport with 74,000 operations in 2022, now up 23 percent year-to-date, with five flight schools on the field. It is just eight miles from Dulles International Airport.
The FAA has to do a cost-benefit analysis to allow KJYO into the FCT program and it seems the airport will pass that test.
“We are upset the remote tower is not moving forward,” said Coffman, considering all the time spent developing a project that improved safety. “We will shift gears and do all we can to maintain air traffic control safety and efficiency at the airport.”