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The First Air Traffic Controller
In 1921, Croydon Airport, London was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control. -
Used in WW1
The first of air mail radio stations (AMRS) was created in 1922 after World War I when the U.S. Post Office began using techniques developed by the Army to direct and track the movements of reconnaissance aircraft. -
The First Control Tower
The first airport traffic control tower, regulating arrivals, departures and surface movement of aircraft at a specific airport, opened in Cleveland in 1930. -
Control Center in NJ
The first air route traffic control center, which directs the movement of aircraft between departure and destination was opened in Newark, NJ in 1935, -
Control Center in Cleveland
The first air route traffic control center, which directs the movement of aircraft between departure and destination was opened. -
Control Center in Chicago
The first air route traffic control center, which directs the movement of aircraft between departure and destination was opened. -
Usage of Radar
Approach/departure control facilities were created after adoption of radar in the 1950s to monitor and control the busy airspace around larger airports. -
Call Signs
Before around 1980 International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ICAO were using the same 2-letter callsigns. Due to the larger number of new airlines after deregulation ICAO established the 3-letter callsigns as mentioned above. -
Strike of 1981
August 3, 1981, the union declared a strike, seeking better working conditions, better pay, and a 32-hour workweek (a four-day week and a eight-hour day combined). In addition, PATCO wanted to be excluded from the civil service clauses that it had long disliked. In striking, the union violated 5 U.S.C. (Supp. III 1956) 118p (now 5 U.S.C. § 7311), which prohibits strikes by federal government employees. -
National Air Traffic Controllers Association
NATCA was formed in 1987, following the decertification of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO), the organization involved in the well known 1981 air traffic controllers' strike. -
Flight Traffic Map
In 1991, data on the location of aircraft was made available by the Federal Aviation Administration to the airline industry. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, the Helicopter Association International, and the National Air Transportation Association petitioned the FAA to make ASDI information available on a "need-to-know" basis. -
Electronic Flight Strip System
The firsts electronic flight strips systems were independently and simultaneously invented and implemented by Nav Canada and Saipher ATC in 1999. -
London Area Control Center
In 2002 the UK brought a new area control centre into service at the London Area Control Centre, Swanwick, Hampshire, relieving a busy suburban centre at West Drayton, Middlesex, north of London Heathrow Airport. -
Awards
In 2004, NATCA established the Archie League Medal of Safety Awards, named after Archie William League, the first air traffic controller. -
FAA Reauthorization Bill
On September 3, 2006, the FAA ceased negotiations with NATCA officials and unilaterally imposed terms and conditions of employment on Air Traffic Controllers nationwide. -
Delays
Another problem resulting from the staffing crisis is the increased number of flight delays throughout the nation. While the FAA says that these delays are not a result of the insufficient staff problem, 2007 was the second worst year for delays in FAA history. -
Staffing Crisis
As of January 2008, the FAA documented about 11,000 air traffic controllers, which is the lowest number since the 1981 PATCO strike. -
Agreement
PATCO signed an Alliance Agreement with the Teamsters Airline Division on October 15, 2008. -
Changes
In 2014, it was reported that in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration had stopped giving preferential treatment to air-traffic controller applicants who had passed classes from the 36 FAA-approved college aviation programs across the U.S., because too many of the people who passed these classes were white males. At the same time, the FAA also stopped giving preference to applicants who were military veterans with aviation experience. -
New Workforce Plan
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to hire and train several thousand air traffic controllers over the next decade. FAA's controller workforce reached 14,449 in fiscal 2016. The FAA hired 1,680 new controllers in fiscal 2016, and has hired more than 5,600 controllers over the last five years. The details are laid out in the twelfth annual update to the Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan 2017-2026
