Air Transportation in 1956: Air Traffic Control and Navigation Problems

Air Traffic Control and Navigation Problems using Air Transportation in 1956 as reference

Recent and anticipated increases in the speed of airplanes, especially after the acquisition of jets, and in the number of flights have pointed up the need for improvements in air traffic control and navigation facilities. The collision of two airliners over the Grand Canyon on June 30, 1956, caused a demand for immediate action. So too did the extraordinary East Coast traffic tie-up of June 21, 1956, in which about 30,000 passengers at New York airports alone suffered delays or cancellations, and in which one airline had to cancel 70 of its flights. These occurrences may have been partly responsible for a Congressional appropriation of $75,000,000 for establishment of air traffic control and navigation facilities in the fiscal year 1957, a period of twelve months ending June 30, 1957. This is several times larger than the $5,000,000 appropriation for fiscal 1955 and the $16,000,000 for fiscal 1956. The incidents may also have been partly responsible for the conclusion of a five-year conflict between civil and defense agencies of the Federal Government over the adoption of a common aircraft-guidance system by which a ground station gives a properly equipped aircraft its direction and distance. The Civil Aeronautics Administration prefers and uses VOR/DME (Very High Frequency Omnirange with Distance Measuring Equipment). The Air Force and the Navy have installed a number of TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation) stations which, because they are comparatively small, are appropriate for use on a ship or in an area where little space is available. In August 1956 the Air Coordinating Committee, composed of representatives of various Federal agencies interested in aeronautics, agreed on a compromise system called VORTAC. Under this system, VOR stations will give aircraft their direction, but the defense-favored distance-measuring feature will be used. The military will continue to develop and use TACAN for strictly military purposes. The complete change from VOR/DME to VORTAC in civil aviation will require several years.

Air Traffic Control and Navigation Problems using Air Transportation in 1956 as reference

 

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