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Article: Battling the Bugs in Air Traffic.(new air traffic control computers cause problems)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Newsweek
- Article date:
- November 30, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A computer switch worries controllers
Early evening is a nerve-rack- ing time for air-traffic controllers, the hours when the skies are filled with planes vying for airspace around the country's airports. Inside the Terminal Radar Approach Control facility a few miles north of San Diego, controllers sitting at the 30 glowing radar display consoles handle an average of 6,500 flights a day. During peak hours, more than 200 planes can track across their screens hourly. It's stressful work--even more so when the computers that controllers rely on suddenly fail. That's what happened on Nov. 10. Around 6:45, critical data on the screens froze up for more than 11 ...