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New air traffic control tower closer to completion

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  • By Daisy Grant, Staff Writer

Construction on the new Tinker Air Force Base air traffic control tower is closer to completion after the cab was attached to the steel-base structure, bringing the structure to its final height of 125 feet.

A team effort between Tinker AFB employees and contractors, the acquisition of the new tower began in 2005.

The 68,000 pound cab was lifted July 13, moving the tower closer to its expected completion in March of 2019.

Tower Chief Controller, Senior Mast. Sgt Laura Hoover said the location that was selected will allow more visibility of the runways and the new building will be almost double the square footage of the existing tower.

“The new tower affords more training space, increased visibility, and upgraded communication abilities, driving improvements towards the overall safety of the airfield,” Hoover said.

The Airfield Operations Flight Commander, 1st Lt. Jessica Loving said the new tower has been greatly anticipated.

“Our current tower is from the 1970s, it’s the oldest in AFMC. Tinker’s Mission has expanded significantly since then, and just by looking at the projects taking place around the airfield, our flying operations are going to continue to expand,” Loving said.

“It’s fantastic that we will have an Air Traffic facility that affords the Airmen the ability to grow as Tinker’s mission requirements grow.”

Once construction is complete, Bldg. 117 will be used as an alternative air traffic control facility while equipment is moved from the existing tower to the new one.