09/03/2026
Waltonwood resident, Bob, went on an adventure of a lifetime to the Dulles Air Traffic Control Tower. Due to the ATC facilities being strictly off limits to the public, Bob was very surprised when the impossible became a reality.
After going through two layers of security, the Dulles ATC team welcomed Bob and his guests like VIPs; granting full access to their operations.
Everyone was es**rted to the conference room where Staff Support Specialist, Jeremy Smith, (our es**rt during the entire visit) gave us a detailed overview of air traffic control. The presentation was eye opening and filled with many questions.
After the presentation, Bob was brought to the simulator room where he put on a headset to practice timing takeoffs with incoming flights. The maneuvers required multi-tasking and a great deal of patience and care. After juggling the fast-paced coordination, Bob joked that he definitely wasn’t cut out to be a controller.
The main event was ascending the 325 foot tower. From there Bob could see a beautiful panoramic view of the entire airport including all four runways. He was even able to see the Washington Commander’s practice facility.
The day wrapped up with lunch back in the conference room and filled with more questions and shared stories. Sue Redburn (from the Washington Center) and Jeremy Horton (Dulles Airport Operations Manager) even joined us.
Before leaving ATC, Bob was presented with a gift bag featuring an honorary Washington Dulles ATC Tower Specialist certificate an NATCA badge, ground control training manual and a soon to be obsolete physical flight progress strip. The gifts were a total surprise and delight.
Bob was blown away by his adventure and gained a deep appreciation for the dedicated teams that keep our skies safe. Bob commented, “We may take them for granted, but I assure you they do not take us for granted.” The adventure was fabulous and far exceeded Bob’s expectations.
