FAA History Lesson -- June 24 (08)

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

”Jun 24, 1948: The Soviet Union stopped rail and road traffic between Berlin and the West. The Western Powers began airlifting vital supplies to the beleaguered city. The following month, at the request of the Air Force, CAA dispatched an initial group of 20 volunteer air traffic controllers to Frankfurt and Berlin for duty in the airlift operation. CAA also provided VHF air navigation aids. The Berlin blockade was officially lifted on May 12, 1949. “

Have you ever thought about air traffic control’s contribution to The Berlin Airlift ? If you have the time, you can read the whole story at Wikipedia. If time is limited, here’s the pertinent part.

Runways and weather. Some things never change.

Don Brown
June 24, 2008