Army airfield closes its control tower, but keeps its instrument flights

The US Army's Phillips Army Airfield in Aberdeen, MD, has closed its air traffic control tower. However, the airfield will still allow planes to land and take off using instruments, even without a human controller.

Airfields with control towers have Class D airspace, which means pilots must talk to a controller before entering. Without a tower, the airspace usually becomes uncontrolled, making instrument flights much harder. This change means the Army can keep using the airfield for instrument flights, even with fewer staff and less infrastructure. It shows how military airfields can maintain operational capacity with reduced personnel.