Flights are delayed in half the USA because of a communication failure at an FAA (air traffic control) center in Georgia. What do you think of our current air traffic control system?
Air traffic control itself is not necessarily outdated. They use decent technology to track and communicate with the aircraft. However, I feel the real issue is the reliance on ground based navigation. Commercial flights depend entirely on VOR’s and ARTCC to guide them through the flight. In short, the basic idea of navigation works like this: Upon takeoff, pilots are immediately handed to departure control whose job is to guide them into the skies. These controllers will assign temporary altitudes and headings and then turn them over to ARTCC. ARTCC, which stands for Air Route Traffic Control Center, or “Center” to pilots, controls all of the routing of a huge mass of airspace. These centers are prefixed with locations, such as Boston Center, Cleveland Center, etc. Each aircraft already has it’s assigned route programmed into the computer and filed in the flight plan. This flight plan will include a serious of VORs or intersections of distances from VORs. (VORs are radio beacons locat
