RPTR INDICATES THAT APCH CTLR IS UNABLE TO RECEIVE A PLT RPT OF BEING ON THE GND AFTER COMPLETING AN IFR APCH. RPTR CLAIMS THIS CAUSES HOLDING OF OTHER ACFT UNTIL CONFIRMATION IS RECEIVED FROM THE PREVIOUS ACFT. RPTR STATED THERE IS NO REMOTE XMITTER RECEIVER SITE.

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17 MI SW OF BHM IS EKY. DURING THE LAST 90 DAYS BHM'S TFC COUNT (IFR) HAS RISEN 600 PERCENT. THIS IS DUE TO A PART 135 OP THAT HAS MOVED THERE AND THE ADDITION OF A LOC APCH. THIS HAS MADE EKY THE #1 REGIONAL ARPT IN THE STATE OF AL. WE CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH ACFT ON THE GND AT EKY; AND DO NOT HAVE A REMOTE XMITTER/RECEIVER. THIS SIT CAUSES HOLDING IFR ACFT UNTIL WE RECEIVE CONFIRMATION THAT PRIOR IFR ARRS ARE ON THE GND; SOMETIMES 3 OR 4. IF THEY USED THE VOR APCH IT ALSO CLOSES ANOTHER ARPT (EET) SHELBY COUNTY UNTIL CONFIRMATION IS RECEIVED. ANOTHER COMPLICATION IS EKY: CLOSE PROX TO BHM. IT LIES RIGHT AT THE POINT WHERE CTLRS TURN BASE TO FINAL FOR THE ILS TO RWY 5. THE SIT IS GROWING WORSE WITH THE GROWTH OF THE ARPT. MERCEDES BENZ IS EXPECTED TO BRING 20 BE20'S AND A BIV; THEY ARE ALSO BUILDING 60 ADDITIONAL 'T' HANGARS SURE TO ATTRACT MORE ACFT. THE ANSWER TO THIS PROB IS A REMOTE XMIT/RECEIVE AT EKY. IN THE LAST 90 DAYS THE TFC AT EKY HAS GONE FROM ROUGHLY 200 OPS A MONTH TO OVER 900 OPS AND INCREASING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE PROB IS CONTINUOUS ON A DAILY BASIS IN ALL TYPES OF WX EXCEPT FOR FOG CONDITIONS. RPTR ALLEGED THE FAA IS AWARE OF THE PROB BUT INDICATED THERE WAS NO FUNDING AVAILABLE. RPTR IMPLIED THAT THE FAA WAS LEAVING IT TO THE CITY TO DEAL WITH THE PROB. RPTR STATED THAT SOME AIR TAXI FLC FILE 2 FLT PLANS; VFR AND IFR; WHICH RPTR FEELS IS TO CIRCUMVENT THE FAR SINCE; RPTR ALLEGES; THERE IS NOT A LICENSED DISPATCHER AT THE ARPT. RPTR STATED THE ACFT ON AN APCH WILL RPT DOWN (LNDG) OR CANCEL IFR AND USE THE VFR FLT PLAN ON THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. RPTR ALLEGED THIS WAS SOMETHING THE AIR TAXI FLC STARTED AS IT HELPED APCH CTLR AND COMPANY ACFT WAITING TO MAKE AN APCH. RPTR INDICATED THE NORMAL PROC WAS FOR THE PLT TO NOTIFY FSS AFTER LNDG WHO IN TURN WOULD NOTIFY APCH CTLR OF THE ACFT LNDG SO THAT THE NEXT APCH COULD BE MADE. RPTR INDICATED THE PROB EXISTS WITH ACFT DEPARTING VFR IN MARGINAL WX ATTEMPTING TO GET AN IFR CLRNC BUT ARE FORCED TO HOLD VFR UNTIL A RPT IS RECEIVED THAT THE IFR ACFT ON APCH HAS LANDED. RPTR INDICATED THE CTLRS ARE STRESSED FROM THE INCREASED WORKLOAD INVOLVING THE TFC VOLUME AND THE PROX OF ARPTS AND TFC PATTERNS.