Cheyenne Regional Airport could lose its air tower as a result of the federal sequester. The Federal Aviation Administration is losing funding for 100 towers nationwide, each of which serve airports with a limited number of flights.

David Haring is director of aviation at the airport. He says the airport will continue to operate… but losing the air tower is a big deal, because it’s an important safety tool.

“It’s in essence an extra set of eyes for pilots operating in and out of the airfield,” Haring says.  “It provides guidance in weather conditions that perhaps don’t lend themselves to pilots having a clear range of visibility around them. It also provides safety for those on the ground. So it’s just a tremendous safety enhancement for our facility and something that would be detrimental to lose.”

Haring says without a tower, pilots will have to communicate with – and watch out for – other planes in the area, in addition to flying their own plane.