This article by IWP Trustee Hon. Tidal McCoy, former acting secretary and senior assistant secretary of the Air Force, was published on Wired.com.
Opinion: Grounded by mid-20th-century technology, air traffic controllers cannot handle the ongoing demands of commercial airlines and drones.
Last month, during his swearing-in remarks as the new administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Stephen Dickson promised to “ensure our aviation system maintains its proper place leading the world in both safety and operational performance.”
That’s a noble charge, and one we can all support. But to hold firm to his pledge, Dickson and Congress are both going to have to ensure that proper investments are made to address glaring, costly, and dangerous technological deficiencies in our air traffic control system to move this critical piece of infrastructure into the 21st century.
As the former acting secretary of the Air Force I know a thing or two about the challenges facing our national airspace.