Reading Tower 2405-B Bernville Road Reading, Pennsylvania 19605

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome Letter 3 History of Reading Tower 4 Reading Tower Leadership Team 8 Our Expectations of All Employees 10 Policies 11 Local Area Information 13 Sporting and Special Events 14 Restaurants of Note 15 Farmer’s Markets 15 Online Resources 16 Reading Tower Airport Map 17 Reading Tower Directory 19

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Welcome Letter

Dear New Employee, Welcome to Reading Tower! Here you will have an opportunity to work with an outstanding team of professionals that help make us a great place to work and develop your skills. Your knowledge, abilities and positive attitude made you a highly regarded addition to our team, and I am certain that you will make a positive impact on our future. All of us want to make your tenure at this facility as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. Please feel free to ask any questions and express your thoughts and ideas to the staff and senior leadership. Our aim is to create an informal atmosphere and involve everyone in the process of making our facility an exceptional place to work. I look forward to working with you, and would like to welcome you again to our team! Sincerely, Theodore B. Johnson Reading Tower Manager

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History of Reading Tower

I. THE CONTROL TOWER BUILDING.

A. 1938 – Construction of original building, built as a Control Tower/Airways Station, as part of old terminal. 1. Building now occupied by Millenium Aviation. 2. Structure never used as a Control Tower.

B. 1942 – Building of a Control Tower on the North Ramp by U.S. Army Air Corps. 1. Wood structure mounted on wooden legs. 2. Located on the North Ramp in front of what is now American

Flight Services.

C. 1948 – Jurisdiction of Tower taken over by CAA (fore-runner of the FAA).

D. 1950 – Deteriorating Control Tower, with its slits (or legs) dismantled.

Cab moved to the East side of Airport near present site of ASR-7 Radar antenna. 1. Cinderblock room built on top of machine gun testing butt at site. 2. Original Tower Cab placed on top of cinderblock room.

a. Cinderblock room housed radio transmitters, receivers, and also Facility Manager’s office.

b. Built as a temporary structure, supposedly until new terminal was constructed.

3. Federal funds allotted for construction of a tower, when present terminal was constructed.

a. Tower to be built over site of Airport Terminal Restaurant. b. City Fathers (much to dismay of Federal Government)

diverted Federal Funds to other projects. c. Base of terminal in restaurant location stressed especially

for Tower project. E. 1966- Present Control Tower (commanding four-county view) built with Federal Funds and dedicated September 25, 1966.

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1. Dimensions. a. 60 feet high to roof. b. 49 feet to tower cab floor.

2. Elevator Plans. a. Elevator originally planned but figured that if structure was

14 inches shorter than planned, Government would save $100,000.

b. Elevator shaft door on each floor, but building had one step removed and no elevator was built.

3. Five floors and 82 steps leading to the Tower Cab.

II. OPERATIONS. A. Hours of Operation.

1. 18-Hour operation, 6:00 A.M. to Midnight 2. Official weather reporting station for Reading and vicinity.

B. Personnel. 1. Air Traffic Control – 15 Controllers, One ATM, Two

Supervisors, 1 Secretary. 2. Airways Facilities Technicians – 4

C. Traffic Estimates. 1. 120,000 per year. 2. 10,000 per month. 3. 333 per day.

III. RADAR UNIT CONSTRUCTION. ($1.5 Million Installation).

A. 1977 – Congressional hearings led by Congressman Gus Yatron on a mid-air collision between a C185 over flying the Reading airspace and a NORD aircraft inbound to the Reading airport for painting, led to Congressional mandate for Radar installation at the Reading Regional Airport.

B. 1978 – Construction began by FAA. C. 1979 – Construction completed.

1. Controller Radar training completed in Philadelphia. 2. Scope – Scans 60 NM area (normal scan for traffic within the

Reading Airspace is 30 NM). 3. Controls instrument traffic to 5,000 feet Mean Sea Level.

IV. BASE BUILDING.

A. Construction began 2000 to house administrative and training space.

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B. Construction completed May 2003, 1200 square foot building. C. Building dedicated June 30, 2003. D. Reading ATCT received Security Accreditation September 2003.

V. CURRENT PROJECTS. A. Electrical upgrade to tower power supply to meet the ever growing

demands for power to equipment. Update: completed June 2006. B. HVAC installation – 10-ton TRANE units installed for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

floors. Update: Installed April 2007. C. ASR-11 Radar antenna upgrade of the current ASR-7 equipment

1. 2002- Project meetings started. 2. 2003 - Site #2 selected as preferred area along Route 183. 3. Project projected to be completed by 2010 pending Federal

Funding. 4. Project completed on May 1, 2008 ASR-11 operational well

ahead of projected completion date. Coordinates: N 40 deg 22 min 29.1492 sec

W 75 deg 58 min 13.3751 sec

Tower stairwell repainted and new treads for steps installed July 2008. Parking lot was repaved and new lights installed in October 2010.

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Independence Hub and Reading Tower Organizational Chart

The following organizational chart depicts the structure of the Independence District facilities including Reading Tower.

Independence Hub Chart

Syracuse,

NY SYR

ATC-6

Reading, PA

RDG ATC-6

Northeast Philadelphia,

PA PNE

ATC-5

Wilmington, DE ILG

ATC-5

Elmira, NY

ELM ATC-5

Binghamton,

NY BGM

ATC-5

Wilkes-

Barre, PA AVP

ATC-6

Atlantic City,

NJ ACY

ATC-7

Allentown,

PA ABE

ATC-7

Philadelphia,

PA PHL

ATC-12

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Reading Tower Leadership Team

Ted Johnson is the Air Traffic Manager. Bill Abdalla and Sean McFadden are Frontline Managers. Kathy Yarmush is Reading Tower’s Secretary. Below are their bios that outline career paths of these distinguished individuals and briefly describe their personal interests and hobbies. Theodore B. Johnson, Air Traffic Manager, Reading Tower After completing 4 years as an air traffic controller with the U.S. Air Force, Ted joined the FAA in 1975 as an air traffic controller at Reading Tower. His employment track record includes serving as a full performance level controller at Reading for 14 years. Ted then became a supervisor at Reading Tower for 15 years and has held the position of facility manager at Reading Tower since June 2004. Ted is a native of Lock Haven, PA, home of the Piper Cub. He describes his personality as both practical and diligent. Ted enjoys hunting, fishing, golfing and spending time with his family. William M. Abdalla, Frontline Manager, Reading Tower Bill began his Air Traffic Control career in 1982 with the US Air Force. After eight years of active duty as a Radar/Tower controller at Dover AFB, he joined the FAA family. He has been assigned to three FAA facilities and stationed at Reading since 1994; becoming a Frontline Manager in 2012. Bill originally hails from New England, although he and his wife Debra have family throughout the East Coast. In addition to aviation in general, he enjoys traveling with his wife, writing, golfing and anything "Disney". He is the "go-to guy"/resident expert for information on the Florida Disney parks. Bill and Deb have one daughter who is married and resides in Virginia Beach with her Navy guy.

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Sean McFadden, Frontline Manager, Reading Tower Sean was assigned to RDG Tower as a FLM in May, 2008 from ABE Tower, Allentown, PA. Sean’s career started in 1987 at ZDC (Washington Center) Leesburg, VA. He was an FPL/CPC in 2 areas, area ‘D’ Southern Virginia area and moved to area ‘B’ where he worked mostly Wash. Metro and New York Traffic. Sean attended college in Philadelphia (CCP and Temple) is a USAF veteran and resides in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County), PA Kathleen Yarmush, Secretary, Reading Tower Kathy started her FAA career approximately 25 years ago; she says it’s much more interesting than working for an insurance company. Born and raised in Reading, Kathy loves the area, although she has no problem going on cruises every now and then. Although she is eligible to retire, Kathy says she loves her job and Reading Tower and she’ll be here for awhile.

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Our Expectations of All Employees

Reading Tower leadership team expects all employees to:

• Come to work, be on time • Be prepared – mentally and physically • Understand leave policy and manage your leave appropriately • Be cooperative and professional • Treat people with respect and dignity • Take initiative • Be accountable • Lead by example – be a good role model • Do not tolerate or engage in any form of harassment or discrimination • Actively participate in training • Know your airspace and systems, know your equipment • Use prescribed phraseology/correct facility and equipment names • Follow rules and procedures • Be open to feedback – provide honest information • Be an effective team member

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Policies

Reporting for Duty

Initial classroom training will occur during administrative hours of 0800 – 1630 each weekday with weekends and holidays off until you are assigned to a training team. You will then work with that team and be assigned rotating days off that should coincide with your team’s schedule.

Hours of Duty

Administrative hours are weekdays, 0800 – 1630 with 30 minutes available for lunch. After initial classroom training, you will be assigned to eight-hour shifts in an effort to place you with your training team and the volume of traffic suitable for your training needs.

Parking

Parking in any open slot in the parking lot is permissible except for the handicap parking area that requires an appropriate decal.

Security

Security is everyone’s responsibility. All packages, briefcases, etc are subject to inspection. Do not allow visitors into the building without permission of facility management.

Building Access

You will be issued an FAA Identification badge and an appropriate “keyless-entry” access card. The access card will be coded to allow entry to the appropriate areas of the building.

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FAA ID Cards

The Administrative Assistant will assist you with obtaining your FAA ID badge. It is to be worn so that it is visible below your neck and above the waist.

Guests and Visitors

Visitors and tours must be approved in advance by the Air Traffic Manager. Due to security and staffing limitations, facility tours are normally conducted during business hours. Visitors shall be escorted at all times.

Cell Phones

National policy prohibits cell phones and/or pagers in the operating areas. They may be used in other areas of the facility.

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Local Area Information

The Reading Pagoda

Construction began in 1906 on top of Neversink Mountain; it is one of only three pagodas that exist in the United States. Be sure to climb the 86 steps to the top floor to see the beautiful bell. It was cast in Japan in 1739, housed in a Buddhist Temple in Tokyo, and then it was sailed to Reading in 1907 via the Suez Canal. The pagoda was refurbished many times since it’s completion in 1906, most recently in 2008, when the 1.5 million dollar renovation included red LED lights that outline the building’s upswept roof lines.

Reading Profile

Like the fresh air?...try fly fishing, hiking, hunting, bird watching, boating, camping, swimming, kayaking, golfing, skiing or more. Bike or walk along the Union Canal Bicycle and Walking Trail or hike Nolde State Forest. Watch for hawks atop Hawk Mountain. Sail, water ski or mountain bike around Blue Marsh Lake. Take in the scenery, unique local flavor and award winning vintages along our Wine Trail. Not exciting enough for you? Then pick up the pace with 330mph NHRA drag racing at Maple Grove Raceway. Feel the excitement at a world-class music concert, a symphony, a pop orchestra or civic theatre performance or at the 3rd largest jazz fest in the nation. Or feel the heat at the Annual Chili Pepper Food Festival.

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Arts & Entertainment

Create your own original art! Visit one of our galleries or artists’ studios at the Goggleworks Center for the Arts. Star gaze in the planetarium or visit the Reading Public Museum. Feel the excitement of a symphony, a pop orchestra or civic theatre performance at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center, or a world class music concert at the Sovereign Center. In March every year, Reading’s Berks Art Council presents the annual Berks Jazz Fest, One of the largest jazz festivals in the United States, including over 130 scheduled events featuring world-renowned artists! With musical styles for everyone’s tastes.

Reading – “Original Outlet Capital of the World”

Spend the day at the outlets of Greater Reading & Berks County. Shop for everything from designer brand clothing and accessories, to house wares, shoes, toys and tools at VF Outlet Village www.vffo.com If you love the outdoors, you can find everything you need from tackle, camping gear, hunting and fishing gear to fashion for the whole family at Cabela’s www.cabelas.com

Sporting and Special Events

Reading boasts professional teams in most major sports, including football, hockey, and baseball. First Energy Stadium, located minutes outside the heart of downtown, hosts enjoyable Fightin’ Phil’s baseball games all summer long.

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Local Sports Teams

Baseball: Reading Fightin’ Phil’s Baseball Club www.readingfightins.com First Energy Stadium Route 61, Reading PA Football: Reading Raptors www.raptorsfootball.com Hockey: Reading Royals Professional Hockey Club www.royalshockey.com

Restaurants of Note

Malibooz Bar & Grill at the Reading Airport Wednesday night, Buy one entree get one free www.malibooz.com Chef Alan’s American Bistro www.chefalans.com Jimmie Kramer’s Peanut Bar Restaurant – “casual to gourmet” www.peanutbar.com The Pike Café – sports bar/restaurant www.pikecafe.com ViVÁ Italian Bistro www.vivagoodlife.com/

Farmer’s Markets

Fairgrounds Farmers Market - North 5th Street at Bellevue Avenue

Leesport Farmers Market – www.leesportmarket.com

Renningers Antique & Farmers Markets – www.renningers.com

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Local Area Online Resources

www.readingberkspa.com

Hospitals

Reading Hospital & Medical Center www.readinghospital.org St. Joseph Medical Center www.sjmcberks.org

Local News

Reading Eagle Newspaper www.readingeagle.com

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Reading Tower Airport Map

Below is a map labeled of Reading Airport and surrounding features.

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Photos of the Airport

Below is a photo of intersecting runways of Reading Regional Airport.

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Reading Tower Directory

The following list provides the most commonly used phone numbers within the Reading Tower facility:

>> Reading Tower, Line 1 >> FTS, Line 2 >> Employee Use, Line 3 >> Airway Facilities >> Reading Fax Number

(610) 374-8039 (610) 320-5125 (610) 374-9125 (610) 372-2427 (610) 375-7315

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