"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
[...] Before I moved to BFI, I instructed at a small uncontrolled field
about 30 miles north of Seattle. It was and is a popular airport and it
was not uncommon to wait a few minutes before there was a gap in the line
of arrivals. Conversely, at BFI the tower did a fair job of sequencing
arrivals and departures and delays, while not totally absent, were no
worse than those at the uncontrolled airport.

While I can attest to the efficiency with which the BFI controllers move
traffic at that airport, and that that sort of efficiency is the norm,
rather than the exception, I will also provide an important caveat: those
airports ARE busier, and CAN cause greater delays.

BFI is the one airport around here (the Puget Sound area) where I have sat
on the ground for 20 minutes waiting for a takeoff clearance, and where I
have had to circle outside their airspace for 15 minutes waiting for
permission to enter the Class D. I don't know which "uncontrolled field
about 30 miles north of Seattle" Bob is referring to, but the busier ones --
Harvey Field in Snohomish, and Arlington Airport in Arlington -- have never
caused me that kind of delay, and I was based at Harvey for more than a year
(so I have more than just passing experience with the airport).

I still think controlled airports have a lot to offer, with respect to
training and with respect to day-to-day operations. IMHO, the benefits even
outweight the disadvantages. But don't go into it thinking there's no
disadvantages at all.

Pete