‘We can do better,’ FAA head says of work to update U.S. analog air traffic system

The FAA says it wants to build a brand-new air traffic control system that uses software to prevent conflicts, delays and cancellations. Here, passenger jets land and take off at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in March. Last year, a midair collision between a regional airliner and a military helicopter near the airport killed 67 people. Ken Cedeno/AFP via Getty Images

Ken Cedeno/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — The days of bonfires guiding airplanes across the United States are long gone — but those fires’ analog descendants are preventing the national aviation system from reaping the benefits of today’s digital

→ Continue reading at NPR - Technology

More from author

Related posts

Advertisment

Latest posts

Tim Cook’s extraordinary career in 4 charts

From his start at Apple, Tim Cook was a numbers guy. Shortly after Steve Jobs returned to Apple (AAPL) in the...

How one disappointing order uncovered a massive ‘ghost cake’ delivery scandal in China

Hong Kong —  A customer’s complaint about a disappointing cake kicked off a massive investigation that uncovered thousands of “ghost” food...

Humidity makes these bees turn green

When the weather gets muggy, iridescent bees shift their metallic hue. The insects are a rich blue-green when ambient humidity is low. But as...