BNA Tower

05/28/2026

As the number of flights and passengers through BNA keep soaring you can count on controller staffing to remain the same!

FAA Staffing...60% of the time, it works every time!

05/03/2026

What will probably be the last Spirit aircraft ever at BNA. Currently parked at C9 until lessors claim it. So long Spirit Wings, no more "follow the yellow plane".
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04/30/2026

And also a happy retirement to RJ (aka RR)! 🎊🎉🥳

04/28/2026

Happy Retirement to JP! 🥳🎉🎊

11/09/2025

Sadly, another incident involving an aircraft that BNA controllers work with daily. The entire Vanderbilt LifeFlight team is an integral part of the Nashville community and our hearts are with them and their families as they navigate this tragedy.

Blue skies and tailwinds.

11/05/2025

Our thoughts are with the people of Louisville and UPS as they navigate the unthinkable. May God be with the families of the 2976 crew.

Blue skies and tailwinds.

10/09/2025

Did you know that of the controllers at the 151 FAA facilities in Metropolitan areas, only slightly more than half earn more than the median wage for the area?

Controllers still need to pay their bills, feed their families, and pay their mortgages. A controller should be singularly focused when they plug in to work traffic and that unfortunately isn't the case. They are distracted, they are worried, and they are scared.

This is on you

End the Shutdown immediately!

09/26/2025

Sometimes a few days of crappy weather make way for a nice sunset.
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08/25/2025

British Invasion!

📷 by
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05/19/2025

The system has issues and is understaffed, absolutely. However, a shortage of personnel or equipment outages doesn't mean planes will fall out of the sky, it means they will be heavily delayed.

The road will never be safer than the sky, no matter what the scenario.

IF YOU FLY, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO READ THIS, BUT YOU SHOULD.
Many of you are likely already aware, but the situation is getting worse.
Once again, today there was a brief ground stop at the Nashville Airport.
It’s lifted, but there will now be delays into the evening.
And the fact is, there are widespread delays almost every week not just at Nashville’s BNA, but at airports across the country.
WHY?
Some may think a plane mishap, a security breach or maybe a computer failure.
All possibilities.
But the vast majority of ground stops — which typically means no planes can land at a specific airport— and delays are the result of one thing: A SHORTAGE OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS.
If not enough controllers show up to work it can shut down an airport.
You’ve probably heard about the horrible situation lately with delays at Newark airport.
Let me speak to the situation here at Nashville’s BNA.
A very credible source tells me they were short tonight.
Ideally there would be 14 air traffic controllers working today’s shift.
My understanding is that only half that number were available.
As such, the only safe thing to do is slow air traffic until it can be handled safely.
Makes sense.
So, yes … there is a major shortage of air traffic controllers here and nationwide.
The FAA has been slow to replace and/or hire new controllers as airports keep growing.
And many controllers are quitting tired of stressful six day weeks and antiquated equipment.
It is not a new problem, but it is getting worse and worse.
There is no quick fix.
Hire more and update equipment.
In the meantime, expect more delays … and hope and pray this situation does not lead to an mid-air disaster.
Consider me pretty much grounded.
Sometimes, I have no choice and must fly BUT, I drive now when I can.
AND, FRANKLY, TRAIN TRAVEL IS LOOKING MORE AND MORE AN OPTION FOR LONGER TRIPS.
(I’d love to see the bullet trains like they have in parts of Europe and Japan.)
You?