The Kentucky National Guards Joint Readiness Center at the London-Corbin airport in eastern Kentucky was commissioned to serve as a launching point for military support to civilian agencies in times of natural disaster and provide a rapid-response facility for search and rescue missions in conjunction with the Civil Air Patrol.  In addition, the center also serves as a training facility for drug eradication programs under the operation of the Kentucky State Police, local drug task forces and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

In early 2015, a state-of-the-art rappelling tower was added to further enhance the training capabilities offered by the Center.  Reaching five stories into the eastern Kentucky sky and gleaming with over 120,000 pounds of galvanized steel, the new London Joint Operations Center rappelling tower stands as a monument to modern rappelling training techniques and a symbol for protecting not only our state, but our country.  Designed to utilize the latest techniques in rappelling and rough terrain navigation, the tower is used jointly by the Kentucky National Guard and the Kentucky State Police.

Designed and engineered by Brian McMillian of Brown + Kubican, PSC, in Lexington, KY, the tower had to incorporate multiple capabilities to meet its intended goal.  Designed for a long service life that provided, abrasion resistance to boots, ropes, carabiners, clamps and other hardware, along with minimal maintenance, hot dip galvanizing was the logical coating option from the initial phases of design.  Hot-dip galvanized steels metallurgical bond and complete, uniform coverage ensure no weak points in the coating.  Speed of erection was important and no other coating option allowed for quicker processing of coating prior to erection.  Utilizing bolted field connections helped limit damage to the galvanized coating.  Minor tweaks in the design during construction did end up requiring a small amount of field welding, but repairs were easy completed with the galvanized coating.   Galvanized metal decking with composite wood slats was used to create durable floor and wall surfaces that are resistant to wear and tear of climbers, the elements and insects. 

The tower is a multi-use structure that allows for training in techniques used in navigating various terrains.  Incorporating two fast rope platforms, the tower is used to train service members on proper techniques for rappelling from winged platforms, such as helicopters.  Using the platform is not only safer for continuous training, it also provides a cost saving measure when compared to the cost of operating a helicopter.  A rappelling wall with window openings allows for training in scaling buildings and making entries and exits through access points other than doors.  A rock climbing wall is another feature of the tower that helps in the training of rugged terrain navigation, where negotiating the terrain without use of ropes is required.

Completed on time and within budget, the new rappelling tower will offer many years of durable, maintenance free service in training not just for todays, but future generations of our armed forces and first responders.