YYZ Control Tower Tour

September 16, 2006 was a very special day for members of the YYZ Airport Watch. 48 members of our group had the privilege to tour Nav Canada's control tower at Pearson Int'l Airport.

The tower at YYZ is often considered the nerve centre for air traffic operations at Pearson airport. To have the opportunity to visit this facility and see close up the fine work the controllers do was an interesting and fascinating experience.

The YYZ Airport Watch committee would like to thank all the staff at Nav Canada who helped make this tour possible.

The control tower at Pearson Airport is perhaps the most recognizable structure at YYZ. Standing at over 200 feet, it can be seen from almost any vantage point in and around the vicinity of the airport. The reverse applies for the staff of controllers who work in tower. From high above in the "cab", controllers have an truly inspiring 360 degree view of the airport and air traffic in the area.

Arriving and departing aircraft that are within the "Airport Control Zone", roughly a 7 mile radius up to 3,000 feet around YYZ, are controlled from Toronto's tower. It doesn't end there though. Controllers in the tower are also responsible for the safe movement of aircraft and vehicles on and around the miles of taxiways and runways. No aircraft lands or departs without the towers permission.

Within the tower itself, the duties and function of air traffic control are sub-divided into various responsibilities. They are categorized as follows:
Tower Control - issue landing and takeoff instructions
Ground Control - issue directions to pilots taxiing to/from runways
Clearance Delivery - issue and/or verify flight plan routes
ATIS - recorded information with current airfield and weather conditions. (The ATIS at YYZ is automated using text to voice generating software - at one time though this information was recorded by tower staff)

When the offer for our group to tour the control tower was presented, it was an easy decision to accept. Knowing full well that not a lot of people get this opportunity for which we are truly grateful. The next and perhaps most important issue became how to logistically make it happen? With over 100 members in our group and knowing that this number was far too many for one visit, we left the task of this to the professionals, that being our hosts themselves. Air traffic controllers Joe Altieri and Tom Cooper presented and offered to host our group. Who better then them to coordinate this event? They quickly and efficiently set out a plan that would allow a number of our members to participate in this tour, 48 to be exact! The plan was to divide the tour into three separate groups of 16, each arriving an hour and fifteen minutes apart. This would allow each group time for a briefing and presentation, a visit up to the tower "cab" & a visit of the outside antenna ring located below the upper tower structure. Once the itinerary was in place the invitations went out to our members. As is standard with all Airport Watch tours, the first come - first serve, or in this case first 48 members to reply to the invite would participate. The response as you can imagine was incredible, the tour sold out in a matter of hours. The organizing committee kept a list of all replies, in the event of a cancellation the next name on the list was added. In order to exempt Nav Canada for any liability to members of our group, each participant signed a waiver releasing Nav Canada and its employees from damages and/or injury.

As our members arrived and assembled outside the building, we were met and greeted by our hosts Joe & Tom. We were escorted into the briefing room where we were welcomed and given a presentation on the tower and function of air traffic control. Members we given a prepared fact sheet which contained statistical information about YYZ ATC. Joe & Tom gave an excellent presentation including the do's and don'ts preparing us for what lay ahead. As the group made their way to the elevator, we stopped to observe a fine scale model of the control tower and accompanying building. This would make a fine addition to any scale modelers collection if they were available :-) Up. up & away.... Upon exiting the elevator the anticipation is definitely reaching a peak. A short climb up the stairs and instantly we're in the cab, the summit of YYZ. The first thing that stands out is the view, truly amazing. Although the weather was gray and overcast, you could easily imagine the magnificent view afforded on a clear day. Joe and Tom assembled our group and pointed out the various positions within the tower and how they interact and function with one another. As one can imagine, there were numerous questions to which Joe & Tom had the answers. To be standing in the cab is truly an amazing experience. The calm, cool, and professional manner in which these men and women work is remarkable. For enthusiasts such as us, the atmosphere is almost surreal. Our only connection with this facility is by way of the conversations we hear on our airband radios. I'm sure many of us have envisioned what it might be like up in the tower. Today we had the chance to complete the picture.

From the cab, our group was escorted down a few floors to the outside antenna/maintenance ring. From here you really get a sense of the sights and sounds of YYZ from up high. Inside the cab you are insulated from the symphony of aircraft engines. The ring houses antennas, cameras, and various other pieces of equipment that aid in the safety and operation of the tower and Pearson Airport. Participants were quick to take advantage and snap photos to serve as a reminder of this awesome view. Unfortunately because of restrictions, we are not permitted to share these photos on our website. If the restrictions are lifted, we will add a gallery at that time. As with all good things, they must come to an end and our hosts informed us that our tour was drawing to a close and that we would have to make our way back down.

On behalf of all the participants, the YYZ Airport Watch Committee would like to once again say a big thank you to all at Nav Canada for making this tour possible. Hopefully our group will have the opportunity to visit again in the future so that those that weren't able to participate have the chance to do so.