FAA History Lesson -- August 21

From the FAA Historical Chronology, 1926-1996...

”Aug 21, 1986: FAA's Air Route Traffic Control Centers handled 112,467 en route operations, the highest single-day traffic to that date. Record operations levels at many facilities in fiscal 1986 helped to create a 19.85 percent increase in delays as compared to the previous year. During the fiscal year, FAA proceeded with implementation of a Traffic Management System integrating certain air traffic control functions to create a more orderly traffic flow. Work also continued on the Expanded East Coast Plan, the first phase of which was scheduled for implementation in 1987 (see Feb 12, 1987). Under development since 1982, the plan was designed to alleviate congestion in the New York area and associated airspace through the use of additional departure routes and other techniques. During fiscal 1986, FAA also deployed mobile "tiger teams" of personnel with expertise in a variety of air traffic control disciplines to improve traffic management in areas experiencing delays. ”

It seems like only yesterday.

Here’s a video where you can actually see how many airplanes controllers work everyday now.

Don Brown
August 21, 2007