Leesburg Airport Deploys ATC Tower System With Strong Roots to Civil Air Patrol
LEESBURG, Va. (April 9, 2026) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified and approved a new system - the first of its kind in the United States - in August 2025 to provide situational awareness for non-FAA ATC towers. Last month, the Leesburg Executive Airport, home of Virginia Wing’s Leesburg Composite Squadron, announced the system went live in their temporary contract tower controlling Leesburg Executive Airport while its new air traffic control tower is under construction.
Civil Air Patrol’s (CAP) National Radar Analysis Team (NRAT) uses multiple sources to support search and rescue operations. FAA’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) signals provide key aircraft location information independent of radar. ADS-B is required for most aircraft operating in controlled airspace. Together with uAvionix, CAP members at NRAT and across the Commonwealth identified the need to deploy targeted ADS-B receivers from uAvionix around the state to provide coverage where there was not any FAA coverage and offer a cost effective manner of deploying a sensor which provided critical visibility into airspace traffic. uAvionix partnered with CAP to help supply the sensors and in 2023, Virginia was the first state to have full coverage.
Following an FAA acquisition of the system for surface awareness at FAA ATC towers throughout the country, uAvionix, several other CAP wings and NRAT team members continue to deploy receivers in other locations. The system now comprises more than 600 sensors throughout the United States, providing Civil Air Patrol and NRAT with nearly full low altitude coverage in support of their missions.
For the Leesburg Executive Airport, Leesburg Midwest ATC controllers and the town of Leesburg worked with uAvionix to transform the system where the first CAP deployment took place into a certified ADS-B situational awareness system which allows controllers to see the airspace in real time, similar to any FAA operated tower that has traditional radar. With several CAP aircraft using the Leesburg airspace daily, it is a welcomed safety enhancement for the airport.
This system greatly reduces uncertainty by providing a good last known location, which helps us focus our search and rescue teams,” said Lt. Col. Jeff Van Etten, Virginia Wing’s Director of Emergency Services. “The system deployed by Virginia Wing together with uAvionix is a great example of Civil Air Patrol improving our emergency services capabilities to better serve our community.”
“The mission of NRAT is to shorten the time from crash to rescue,” said Lt. Col. John Henderson, Commander of NRAT. “To achieve that, it is essential to identify the exact location of a crash or emergency landing as soon as possible in support of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Since the introduction of ADS-B, we have managed to significantly cut search times often by days or many hours, significantly increasing the chances of survival. ADS-B data has been at the base of many lives saved over the past years.”
About Virginia Wing
Civil Air Patrol's Virginia Wing is home to 21 squadrons spread throughout the Commonwealth and has approximately 2,500 members, 13 light aircraft, 6 small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), and 28 multi-mission vehicles. These assets are available to federal, state, and local governments, as well as to emergency responders and law enforcement agencies to perform search and rescue, homeland security, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, and counter-drug missions. For more information on Virginia Wing, visit the wing’s website at https://vawg.cap.gov.
About Civil Air Patrol
Founded in 1941 and established as the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force seven years later, Civil Air Patrol is chartered by Congress as a nonprofit organization for the purposes of youth development, aerospace education, and to promote general aviation. In an auxiliary role as a Total Force partner of the Air Force, CAP operates the world’s largest fleet of single-engine aircraft for search and rescue, disaster relief, training, and education. Civil Air Patrol is dedicated to serving America’s communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.
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For More Information:
Lt. Col. Jacob Bixler pa @ vawg.cap.gov
