Service Began With 15 Employees In Three Control Centers
The FAA on Wednesday marked the 75th anniversary of federal air
traffic control as American aviation experiences its safest period
ever. Since its inception with 15 workers operating in just three
control centers in 1936, the agency has become a world leader,
pioneering safety improvements and developing new technology to
speed up flights, save fuel and improve safety.
“The United States has the safest air transportation
system in the world. But as the last 75 years show, we will never
stop working to make our system even safer,” said
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
“As a pilot, I am in awe of the aviation safety and
technological advancements that have been made in the last 75
years,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “NextGen
represents the next milestone in aviation innovation. The FAA is
committed to transforming our national airspace system so
passengers can reach their destinations even more safely and more
efficiently than they do today.”
Federal air traffic control began on July 6, 1936, when the
Bureau of Air Commerce took over the operation of the first airway
traffic control centers at Newark, N.J., Chicago and Cleveland.
Faced with a growing demand for air travel, the 15 employees who
made up the original group of controllers took radio position
reports from pilots to plot the progress of each flight, providing
no separation services. At the time, the fastest plane in the
commercial fleet was the Douglas DC-3, which could fly
coast-to-coast in about 17 hours while carrying 21 passengers.
Since then, the air traffic system has expanded from three
control centers to include 131 federal stand-alone airport traffic
control towers, 132 towers for terminal area approach control, 29
stand-alone terminal radar approach controls and 21 en route
traffic control centers. The number of controllers has grown from
15 to more than 15,000, a workforce that handles an average of
50,000 flights each day. The DC-3 has given way to jet aircraft
that can carry hundreds of passengers and fly from New York to Los
Angeles in about five hours.
The FAA continues to pioneer new technologies that will make air
traffic control safer and more efficient. The Next Generation Air
Transportation System, or NextGen, will transform air traffic
control in the U.S. from a system of ground-based radars to one
based on satellites. In parts of the country, controllers already
are beginning to track aircraft via satellites with a
state-of-the-art system called Automatic Dependent Surveillance
– Broadcast, or ADS-B. ADS-B will be available nationwide in
2013 and will enable more direct routes, saving time and money
while also lowering the industry’s environmental
footprint.
This month the FAA will celebrate the 75th anniversary of
federal air traffic control by highlighting advancements in air
traffic controller training, NextGen, how the FAA handles
convective summer weather and aviation infrastructure
improvements.