In our day and age of increased energy consumption and demand, renewable sources of energy are becoming more and more prevalent. One of these sources is wind power, and many of us are seeing huge farms of wind turbines sprout up across the countryside. While these turbines are enormous and are relatively easy to spot, there is a darker and less well-known aspect of the wind power industry.
In order to determine the best location for a wind farm, the presiding company needs to know where the "good wind" is. They determine this through the use of sensor towers, commonly referred to as "met towers," that measure the wind speed and direction and duration. These towers pose a very significant threat to aviation, and they are coming to Ohio. They are going to be more common around the Ohio River valley but will likely appear throughout the entire state.
These towers are a serious threat to aviation for several reasons. They are approximately 196 feet tall, bringing them under the threshold of requiring aviation obstruction lighting or markings. They are relatively small in profile, which makes them very difficult to see, and have a very large footprint due to guy wires holding them up. They are temporary in nature which makes them impossible to chart or NOTAM. They can be erected very quickly, in as little as 30 minutes. There have been documented cases of an aerial application pilot spraying a field, going back to base to reload and have lunch, and returning to the same field to find a met tower has been put up. Due to the highly competitive nature of the wind power business, the construction and distribution of these towers is a very clandestine operation in that the companies responsible do not inform anyone (aside from the owner of the land) that these towers are coming.
The FAA and the FAASTeam implore all pilots to use extreme caution and be aware that these met towers could appear, quite literally, overnight. Please be careful out there! Feel free to contact your local Flight Standards District Office or your local FAASTeam representative for further information.
