![]() In 1981, PATCO, the union representing air traffic controllers at the time, started a strike against the poor conditions controllers worked in, as well as the numerous technological issues the government neglected to deal with. Very few controllers stayed with the FAA until retirement age. As the skies became increasingly congested, air traffic controllers were left out to dry, with a large proportion of them experiencing chronic stress and related health conditions. As airlines became free to operate as many flights they wanted to any destination, ridership saw yet an even steeper boom - but controllers did not. In 1978, the airline industry was deregulated, which fundamentally changed the industry and shaped the way air travel would become the way we know it today. ![]() Image via San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives. The FAA bought a Convair 880 in 1961, registered N112, and used it to train Flight Standards pilots and examiners. They also created the ATCSCC, Air Traffic Control System Command Center, to manage air traffic at the highest scales and make macro adjustments to the flow of aircraft. ![]() Between 19, the FAA introduced technologies such as transponders and computers to aid controllers. As the skies became busier, ATC technology needed to catch up for the sake of safety, and it did. With the introduction of the Boeing 707 and Convair 880 into service, the Jet Age had begun, and with it, exponentially increasing passenger numbers. The government quickly took action to improve the national ATC system, which included expanded radar coverage. This continued until 1956, when a midair collision over the Grand Canyon killed 128 people. Initially, radar was only used by tower controllers near airports, as the government feared the high costs associated with implementing it over larger areas. Instead of just guessing and predicting the location of aircraft based on pilot position reports, controllers could actually see all aircraft on screen in real time, vastly improving the safety of the system. Most notably, the invention of radar and application in ATC was revolutionary. ![]() Additionally, advances in military aviation technology were well adapted to civilian practices. Because WWII created a significant need for cargo transport, the commercial aviation industry grew quickly. Then, World War II happened, which created leaps and bounds of progress for ATC. At this point, tower controllers were still employed privately, although the government also took over them in 1938. They employed simple yet effective technologies, the most crucial of which was radio, which not only allowed communication but also navigation by sending directed beams through the air for pilots to follow. The first Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC) were opened in 1936, starting with Newark, NJ, Chicago, IL, and Cleveland, OH. With no enroute ATC, aircraft experienced congestion, near misses, and midair collisions, especially in bad weather.Īlthough formal ATC procedures were first introduced at ICAN, the precursor to ICAO, in 1922, the US ATC system was taken over by the government in 1936. The first air traffic controllers worked as tower controllers for private companies (usually airlines) at each airport, who provided landing and takeoff clearances to arriving and departing aircraft. This was especially true in the late 1920s and early 30s, where commercial aviation was becoming more and more commonplace. But the number of people flying increased, so did accidents and fatalities, and thus illustrated the need to not only provide pilots with information but also to tell them what to do. In its early days, aviation was extremely dangerous. People on the ground used any technology they could to communicate with pilots, whether by waving flags, flashing lights, or by using radio. It began as a way to give pilots essential information about weather and traffic at the first airports. The air traffic control system is a crucial part of keeping our skies safe, organized, and efficient in an era of ever increasing congestion.
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