Radio tower "well known" to locals

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Posted by chicagomedia.org on October 19, 2008 at 07:36:08:

In Reply to: Helicopter crash: Radio tower lights at issue posted by chicagomedia.org on October 17, 2008 at 09:42:36:

700-foot-high radio tower well known to local pilots

The WBIG-AM radio tower, which rises more than 700 feet above the Amli subdivision in Aurora, is a well-known landmark for pilots in the area, according to Bob Rieser, director of the Aurora Municipal Airport.

"If you're familiar with the area, you know it," Rieser said Friday.

That tower has become one of the focal points of an ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation into this week's fatal helicopter crash.

The Air Angels Bell-222 chopper, based out of Clow Airport in Bolingbrook, clipped one of the tower's guy wires before crashing in a field just east of Eola Road at Liberty Street.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the strobe lights on the tower were lit at the time of the accident, according to NTSB spokesman John Brannen. The general manager of WBIG, Steve Marten, has said the lights were operational at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

In the wake of the crash, some have wondered if the Air Angels helicopter was flying too low. The guy wire it clipped was about 50 feet below the top of the 712-foot tower, Jakle said.

But according to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the altitude restrictions for helicopters are not as strict as those for airplanes. Planes must stay 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000-foot radius of the aircraft over congested areas. Over less congested areas, that drops to 500 feet.

Helicopters, however, "may be operated at less than the minimums" if they are flown without "hazard to persons or property on the surface."

"It's just the nature of the beast," said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. "They have a lot of latitude."

Rieser, a pilot himself, said the WBIG tower is one of the highest in the area, beaten only by one in Roselle. And it's something local pilots know to avoid.

"It catches my eye every time I'm up (in a plane)," he said. "You look for it; you know it's there."

(Andre Salles, Aurora Beacon News)

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: 700-foot-high radio tower well known to local pilots : : : The WBIG-AM radio tower, which rises more than 700 feet above the Amli subdivision in Aurora, is a well-known landmark for pilots in the area, according to Bob Rieser, director of the Aurora Municipal Airport. : "If you're familiar with the area, you know it," Rieser said Friday. : That tower has become one of the focal points of an ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation into this week's fatal helicopter crash. : The Air Angels Bell-222 chopper, based out of Clow Airport in Bolingbrook, clipped one of the tower's guy wires before crashing in a field just east of Eola Road at Liberty Street. : Investigators are trying to determine whether the strobe lights on the tower were lit at the time of the accident, according to NTSB spokesman John Brannen. The general manager of WBIG, Steve Marten, has said the lights were operational at 7 p.m. Wednesday. : In the wake of the crash, some have wondered if the Air Angels helicopter was flying too low. The guy wire it clipped was about 50 feet below the top of the 712-foot tower, Jakle said. : But according to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the altitude restrictions for helicopters are not as strict as those for airplanes. Planes must stay 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000-foot radius of the aircraft over congested areas. Over less congested areas, that drops to 500 feet. : Helicopters, however, "may be operated at less than the minimums" if they are flown without "hazard to persons or property on the surface." : "It's just the nature of the beast," said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. "They have a lot of latitude." : Rieser, a pilot himself, said the WBIG tower is one of the highest in the area, beaten only by one in Roselle. And it's something local pilots know to avoid. : "It catches my eye every time I'm up (in a plane)," he said. "You look for it; you know it's there." : (Andre Salles, Aurora Beacon News)

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