‘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