From the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk to NASA’s putting the first man on the moon, America has been a beacon of aviation excellence and ingenuity for decades. However, America’s aviation infrastructure and air traffic control technologies need a substantial upgrade after a serious decline of our once cutting-edge, illustrious industry into an antiquated, dilapidated system.

Air traffic control towers are plagued by a severe staffing, training, and funding crisis. Ninety percent of towers nationwide are understaffed — a deficit that cannot be met by the country’s one operational training facility. This crisis is exacerbated by the antiquated technologies that air traffic controllers are forced to rely on, such as floppy disks and eroding copper wire communications systems.

Overworked, undertrained air traffic controllers using outdated technology have become increasingly problematic. This technology impairs the communication and calculations necessary for air traffic controllers’ split-second, high-stakes decisions. The recent collisions at major airports around the country serve as a striking reminder that high-quality, modernized air traffic control systems........

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