Nantucket airport

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NadCixelsyd wrote:

On WBUR, the mentioned that ACK is getting some new equipement to assist pilots
in landing. They then mentioned that ACK is the 2nd busiest ariport in MA,
next to BOS.

HUH?? I realize that many people fly to Nantucket because it's so far away by
boat, but is the airport really that busy? Busier than Hanscom, Lawrence, or
Beverly???

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but yes ACK is a zoo, at least in the warm
months. The rest of the year it is busy, but not greatly so. The FAA has been
talking about making the airspace there Class C for a few years now, due to traffic
volume during peak times. Second busiest airport in Mass is probably stretching
things, at least on an annual basis.

The equipment you heard about might be what a MCI press released just discussed.
Apparently they are helping implement an underwater fiber optic line from Cape
TRACON (located at Otis) to Nantucket tower. The article claims this will "keep
the airport open" in times of inclement weather; although the airport actually does
not close during inclement weather. Nor does the tower there really need another
data feed, since IFR separation is handled by the TRACON (or Bos Center late at
night). On the other hand, this will greatly assist the local tower with
situational awareness of the airspace around them. But I am wondering if the
reason behind this data upgrade is a precursor to Class C airspace.