US Air Traffic Control still runs on Windows 95 & Floppy Disks
The Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] has confirmed that the US air traffic control system still runs on somewhat antiquated bits of technology, including floppy disks and paper strips.
![This came during last week's Budget Hearing for the US House Appropriation Committee, in which the current FAA boss [Chris Rocheleau], explained to the committee that a new system would mean "no more floppy disks or paper strips."
<https://www.youtube.com/live/AaoOaz44qZg>
The FAA's difficulties aren't new. A report [PDF] released in March described the majority of the systems in use at the agency as either "unsustainable" or "potentially unsustainable". It looked at 138 systems used by air traffic control and found that only 33 had no issues. Of the 105 problematic systems, 40 had been deployed more than 30 years ago, and six were deployed over 60 years ago.
<https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-25-108162.pdf>
According to the report, "challenges include no longer meeting mission needs, difficulty finding spare parts for the systems, and limited technical staff with expertise in repairing the aging system." And, of course, the challenge of paying for it all as well as running both old and new systems in parallel during the switch-over.
For context, the FAA is not alone in using archaic technology. Navigation data aboard Boeing 747-436 airliners was updated via 3.5" floppy disks and a vacancy for a Windows 3.11 boffin at Deutsche Bahn appeared on a German job site in 2024. Indeed, it took until the same year for the Japanese government to rid itself of floppy disks.](https://nerdculture.de/system/media_attachments/files/114/709/975/015/151/797/original/277e3ae1d8ef0d94.jpeg "This came during last week's Budget Hearing for the US House Appropriation Committee, in which the current FAA boss [Chris Rocheleau], explained to the committee that a new system would mean \"no more floppy disks or paper strips.\"
<https://www.youtube.com/live/AaoOaz44qZg>
The FAA's difficulties aren't new. A report [PDF] released in March described the majority of the systems in use at the agency as either \"unsustainable\" or \"potentially unsustainable\". It looked at 138 systems used by air traffic control and found that only 33 had no issues. Of the 105 problematic systems, 40 had been deployed more than 30 years ago, and six were deployed over 60 years ago.
<https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-25-108162.pdf>
According to the report, \"challenges include no longer meeting mission needs, difficulty finding spare parts for the systems, and limited technical staff with expertise in repairing the aging system.\" And, of course, the challenge of paying for it all as well as running both old and new systems in parallel during the switch-over.
For context, the FAA is not alone in using archaic technology. Navigation data aboard Boeing 747-436 airliners was updated via 3.5\" floppy disks and a vacancy for a Windows 3.11 boffin at Deutsche Bahn appeared on a German job site in 2024. Indeed, it took until the same year for the Japanese government to rid itself of floppy disks.")
FAA to retire floppy disks and Windows 95 amid air traffic control overhaul - On Wednesday, acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau told ... - https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/06/faa-to-retire-floppy-disks-and-windows-95-amid-air-traffic-control-overhaul/ #governmenttechnology #airtrafficcontrol #vintagecomputing #chrisrocheleau #infrastructure #transportation #legacysystems #modernization #usgovernment #floppydisks #retrotech #seanduffy #windows95 #aviation
Isaac Stanley-Becker of The Atlantic reveals a troubling narrative: Following a tragic aviation disaster, Trump blamed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices for the crash, despite lacking evidence. He initiated a costly investigation into DEI's supposed impact on safety. Experienced controllers argue such inquiries are unnecessary, debunking Trump's claims. Discover the deeper implications and facts behind this heated discourse. Read more: https://www.alternet.org/plane-crash-dei/ #AviationSafety, #DEI, #Trump, #Biden, #Investigation, #AirTrafficControl
https://www.europesays.com/2124769/ Ryanair Sounds Alarm as Summer Travel Chaos in Europe Looms as Air Traffic Control Delays Surge, This is Necessary for all Travelling to Germany, UK, Italy, Moldova, Spain, Greece, Vatican City, Denmark, Norway #AirTrafficControl #AirlinesNewsOfEurope #AviationIndustry #Europe #france #germany #Moldova #portugal #Ryanair #spain #SummerTravelDelays #UnitedKingdom
Ryanair Sounds Alarm as Summer Travel Chaos in Europe Looms as Air Traffic Control Delays Surge, This is Necessary for all Travelling to Germany, UK, Italy, Moldova, Spain, Greece, Vatican City, Denmark, Norway https://www.byteseu.com/1062522/ #AirTrafficControl #AirlinesNewsOfEurope #AviationIndustry #Europe #France #Germany #Greece #Portugal #ryanair #Spain #SummerTravelDelays #UnitedKingdom
Ryanair reveals EU countries with worst air traffic control delays https://www.byteseu.com/1059126/ #AirTraffic #AirTrafficControl #AirlineSchedules #ATCDelays #Europe #MorningFlights #ryanair #StaffShortages #TransportMinisters
UK Space Ambitions Clash With NATO Airspace Concerns https://www.byteseu.com/1030108/ #AirTrafficControl #Europe #Geopolitics #GIUKGap #Iceland #MaritimeSecurity #MemorandumOfUnderstanding #NATO #SaxaVord #SpaceLaunches #UKSpaceProgram
Um...this can't be good.
"One inside source said that four frequencies from the two main towers at the Longmont center were already out of service. Air traffic controllers were communicating with pilots on a backup fifth frequency, which then went out."
#FAA #Aviation #Denver #Colorado #AirTrafficControl #USA
https://www.denver7.com/news/investigations/outage-leaves-up-to-20-pilots-headed-to-denver-airport-unable-to-contact-air-traffic-control-on-monday
"My prediction is that the air traffic control crisis is the shape of things to come. In a matter of months Trump, Musk and company have severely degraded the morale and, eventually, the quality of the federal work force. And the result will be many more debacles."
~ Paul Krugman
#Trump #Musk #DOGE #AirTrafficControl #Newark #AirTravel #airport
/3
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/lessons-from-the-newark-debacle
"Duffy’s disclosure on Monday followed his repeated assurances to the American public that it is safe to fly from Newark, despite a spate of dramatic outages affecting the airport’s radar systems that is causing ongoing disruption and delays. ...
On Monday the airport’s scheduled roster of 14 air traffic controllers was depleted to just three, leading to delays in flights of up to seven hours."
#Trump #Musk #DOGE #AirTrafficControl #Newark #AirTravel #airport
/2
"Sean Duffy, the Trump administration’s transportation secretary, has revealed that he switched flights for his wife this week to help her avoid flying out of beleaguered Newark Liberty, one of the busiest airports in the New York area."
~ Ed Pilkington
#Trump #Musk #DOGE #AirTrafficControl #Newark #AirTravel #airport
/1
my prediction
Again, dark radar screens at #EWR #AirTrafficControl
"Last week, an outage at Newark caused ATC computer screens to go dark for roughly 60 to 90 seconds and prevented controllers from talking to aircraft during that time, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the incident. As a result, the FAA briefly halted all departures to the airport. (1/2)
https://www.europesays.com/2061995/ Trump administration plans overhaul of U.S. air traffic control systems #AirTrafficControl #AirlineIndustry #DepartmentOfTransportation #SeanDuffy #TheWhiteHouse #TrumpAdministration
"The US needs more than 3,000 new air traffic controllers to reach adequate staffing, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a union representing 10,800 professional controllers.
“Keep in mind, this particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers...Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled“.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/04/us/newark-airport-nj-united-flights-delays
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is a mess of chronic flight delays and cancelations, and it's at the center of the conversations U.S. travelers are having about safety and air-traffic control. For @FrommersMag, FAA licensed aircraft dispatcher William McGee writes about how things got this bad, the part that DOGE cuts at the Federal Aviation Administration may have played, and what flyers should do right now. "Avoiding Newark in the near future is nothing less than common sense as long as there are ATC staffing shortages that, at best, have made published flight schedules theoretical and, at worst, are threatening safety."
https://www.europesays.com/1896067/ Elon Musk’s DOGE Tried to Fire Air Traffic Controllers: Report #AirTrafficControl #AirTravel #airports #doge #ElonMusk #FAA #HPTopStories #Musk #U.S.Politics
#ElonMusk’s #SpaceX Starship #Rocket Breaksup & Disrupts Florida #Airports
But sure yeah put this #SpecialK Presidential Adviser in charge of #AirTrafficControl for airplanes & sure, throw in space #satellites too.
Video showed the upper stage of the most powerful rocket ever built spinning out of control in #space, a repeat of an unsuccessful test flight in January that led to debris falling over the Caribbean.
#USpol #Trump #idiocracy #DrugAbuse
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/science/spacex-starship-launch.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=p&pvid=DF139D51-2C7B-4A6C-869B-58A7D2104A63
