America desperately needs more air traffic controllers

Re:America desperately needs more air traffic controllers by whycome on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @10:48PM (#42943480)

Wait, why can't ATC work remotely? Serious question. They're looking at data on a screen and communicating via radio. Would the latency of any radio-digital relay be too high? Sure it's feeling like one step closer to Ender's game. But it could be possible in theory?

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Re:America desperately needs more air traffic controllers by RandomBacon on Tuesday February 04, 2025 @11:08PM (#42943653)

I'm an Air Traffic Controlling working at a "Center" (ARTCC). It's not the latency - it's that we have backups for the backups. I wish my house had the same level of redundancy my workplace does.

Edit: except for the asbestos. I'm glad my house doesn't have that.

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Re:America desperately needs more air traffic controllers by kristjansson on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @12:29AM (#42944228)

Hint: why do they work in a tower?

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Re:America desperately needs more air traffic controllers by V99 on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @05:37AM (#42946629)

A lot of them don't. They work in nondescript windowless buildings controlling all the airspace that isn't right above an airport.

There have also been trials done with "virtual towers" at smaller airports, using a bunch of cameras and with controllers remotely monitoring them and communicating.

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Re:America desperately needs more air traffic controllers by whycome on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @02:57PM (#42954220)

And as far as I can tell, representations are still projected on a 2D screen. Air traffic using 3d projections might lower the technical bar for controllers? VR + AI seems inevitable.

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